Parliamentary Secretary Clint Camilleri has inaugurated the environmental project – Harvest the Drop to Harvest a Crop – during a visit to Sannat primary school in Gozo.

During his visit to the school on Tuesday, Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights Clint Camilleri, explained that the aim of the project is to focus on the collection, storage and use of rainwater.

Funding for the project was provided by the Rural Development Department, the Secretariat for financial assistance on this project.

Clint Camilleri noted with satisfaction that the vegetable waste resulting from growing crops in the school garden will be used as part of the feed for chickens reared in the school garden.

In addition, he said that snails and larvae of the white butterfly – Pieris rapae – will be collected from the school gardens by students and given to the chickens. This is being done to avoid the use of pesticides on crops grown in the school.

Chicken farming at the school will therefore be part of a sustainable and organic cycle, which involves water conservation, agriculture and control without chemicals, the Parliamentary Secretary said.

Parliamentary Secretary Camilleri said it is rewarding to see schools contribute in projects such as water conservation and climate change.

He stated that this project will help students learn to be more responsible and take the lead on environmental issues and the use of rainwater. “Its aim is in fact to foster awareness of the importance of rain water and how water can be used for projects such as environmental education,” the Parliamentary Secretary added.

“Such a project, through vegetable growing reunites students with the agricultural world,” said Camilleri. He expressed his satisfaction that this will be part of the curriculum framework in classes.

The Head of School Pauline Grech, explained that the implementation of this project has been divided into three phases.

The first phase consisted of the installation of water pipelines which are collecting all rainwater falling on the the building of the Special Unit.

In the second phase, they began collecting the rainwater from an underground reservoir and – through the use a pump – it goes to a large water tank on the roof of the school.

The tank has irrigation branches to water the assorted kitchen herbs that will be planted every year in the school gardens. This will replace the existing irrigation system which is currently connected to the water main.

And the third phase of the project involves the rearing of the native and endemic chicken species – the Maltese Black Hen.

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