Fifty Labasa residents received backyard gardening packages from the Agriculture Ministry yesterday to help foster healthier lifestyles.

Fifty Labasa residents received backyard gardening packages from the Agriculture Ministry yesterday to help foster healthier lifestyles.

This is to also improve their physical fitness.

The backyard gardening programe is part of five new initiatives adopted by the Ministry to further improve agricultural development and the overall output of the sector.

During the distribution of the packages at Naseakula Village, Assistant Minister for Agriculture Jale Sigarara says the government is encouraging rural and urban household farming to produce and consume healthier and nutritious crops.

Sigarara highlighted that those who do not have a large yard for gardening do not have to feel left out, they can still grow many of their favorite vegetables and even sell the surplus to generate extra income for their families.

He adds that due to the increasing needs for food production, the program targets urban and peri-urban areas to positively impact the lives of ordinary Fijians wherever they are.

The program will introduce very simple techniques such as horizontal and vertical container methods to optimize space for planting in order to also ease the increasing cost of living.