Ground provisions facts for kids

Ground provisions is a special name used in West Indian countries for important root vegetables. These include foods like yams, sweet potatoes, dasheen root (also called taro), eddos, and cassava. They are often cooked and served as a side dish in Caribbean meals. Sometimes, recipes from the Caribbean will simply say "ground provisions" instead of listing each vegetable.

How Ground Provisions Started

Some of these important foods, like cassava and sweet potatoes, were first grown by the Amerindian people. They lived in the Americas long before others arrived. Dasheen, also known as taro, came to the Caribbean on ships during the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.

Back then, plantation owners gave small pieces of land to enslaved people. These areas were called "provision grounds." Enslaved people used these plots to grow their own food. This helped them survive, and it also meant the plantation owners didn't have to spend money feeding them.

Growing Ground Provisions

Ground provisions are grown in big farms, but also in special "forest gardens." These gardens are like mini-forests where different plants grow together. This way of farming is similar to how people grew food in parts of Africa.

How People Use Ground Provisions

In Trinidad, ground provisions are often eaten with stewed meat, fish, or chicken. They can also be served with a dish called buljol. The leaves of the dasheen plant are used to make Callaloo, which is a national dish in Trinidad and Tobago and Dominica.

Many people think ground provisions are a healthier choice for starchy foods. This is because they are natural and unprocessed. They are a good alternative to popular starches like rice.

More and more people are becoming interested in ground provisions. This is partly because of movements like "farm-to-table," where food comes straight from the farm to your plate. Also, "culinary tourism" helps people discover these traditional foods. Ground provisions are also used to make gluten-free flours, which are sold around the world.

Ground Provisions and Trade

Growing and eating ground provisions is common in many Caribbean countries. These foods are quite important to their economies. Most of the trade of ground provisions happens between countries in the CARICOM group. However, some countries like the Leeward Islands and Jamaica also send ground provisions to the United Kingdom.

Cuba is very organized in growing these foods. They do a lot of research to improve their crops and even sell seeds to other countries.

Jamaica's Role

Jamaica sends a lot of its farm products overseas, especially sweet potatoes and plantains. In the 1970s, Jamaica worked hard to grow more ground provisions. By 1980, these foods made up a huge part of Jamaica's farm exports. The government even set goals to grow more dasheen, which helped increase its production. Jamaica now exports sweet potatoes, yams, and dasheens to places like the United Kingdom and Canada.

St. Vincent's Exports

St. Vincent mainly exports ground provisions and carrots. Many of these, like eddoes, tannias, and yams, go to Trinidad and Tobago.

Suriname's Supply

In 1980, the government of Suriname stopped the export of some ground provisions. This was to make sure there was enough food for the people living in Suriname.

Trinidad and Tobago's Imports

Trinidad and Tobago buys a lot of its food from other countries, including many ground provisions, especially potatoes. In 2020, during the Covid19 pandemic, Tobago offered money to farmers. This was to encourage them to grow more local foods like sweet potatoes and cassava, helping to make sure there was enough food for everyone.