The Ministry of Agriculture, Marine Resources & Family Island Affairs launched an initiative for farmers that would encourage the use of climate-smart technology to boost food security in the country. Minister, the Hon. Clay Sweeting made the announcement during a press conference, October 27, 2022 at the Ministry’s headquarters  on East Bay Street. He said the pilot program will further incentivize farmers and food producers with the use of climate smart technology and will assist The Bahamas in significantly boosting food production systems.

“Climate smart technology has been utilized in countries around the world for many years,”said Mr. Sweeting. “External pressures, such as drought, inflation, diseases, pestilence, the pandemic and now wars, have brought the use of technology to the forefront of agriculture. Farmers are discovering new and innovative ways to boost their efforts such as climate smart seeds and other planting materials that can thrive under extreme conditions, solar and wind energy technologies and hydroponics that increase efficiency in food production. By using technology, we can increase our resilience against climate change and increase our capacity in our domestic food production.”

In October, more than 300 persons applied for the Sustainable Food Growth Grant, which provided up to $50,000 in funding to food producers such as farmers, fishers and agribusiness practitioners. Minister Sweeting introduced three recipients of the sustainable food growth grants. He said the offering was oversubscribed at its deadline on October 7.  The recipients include: Johnelle Lewis (VNET Multi Enterprise); Shomekhan Cargill (Well Mudda Fungus) and Lance Pinder (Abaco Big Bird Poultry).

Minister Sweeting said the country faces constant threats of hurricanes, which can disrupt growing capacity and also faces challenges in getting millennials and young people interested in traditional farming due to its nature of being labour intensive and uncertain. He said that smart technologies can address these challenges.

“Thankfully, we have talented Bahamians who are adept [at] new and emerging technologies, and we will continue to provide a platform for education, research and opportunities to increase awareness and promote opportunity in this sector.”

The Accelerator, Small Business Development Centre (SBDC) Interim Executive Director, Samantha Rolle said that the grant is a timely one, given its focus on this sector. 

“As climate change continues to threaten food production systems globally, The Bahamas must be quick to pivot and recognize the growing importance of technology in food innovation,” said Ms. Rolle. “Following the successful launch of the Sustainable Food Growth Grant, we saw tremendous public engagement in achieving more sustainable food production, which was encouraging. This additional funding will allow businesses to incorporate climate change technology and further support our national efforts to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change.”

 

The Ministry of Agriculture, Marine Resources & Family Island Affairs launched an initiative for farmers that would encourage the use of climate-smart technology to boost food security in the country. Minister, the Hon. Clay Sweeting made the announcement during a press conference, October 27, 2022 at the Ministry’s headquarters  on East Bay Street. He said the pilot program will further incentivize farmers and food producers with the use of climate smart technology and will assist The Bahamas in significantly boosting food production systems. “Climate smart technology has been utilized in countries around the world for many years,”said Mr. Sweeting. “External pressures, such as drought, inflation, diseases, pestilence, the pandemic and now wars, have brought the use of technology to the forefront of agriculture. Farmers are discovering new and innovative ways to boost their efforts such as climate smart seeds and other planting materials that can thrive under extreme conditions, solar and wind energy technologies and hydroponics that increase efficiency in food production. By using technology, we can increase our resilience against climate change and increase our capacity in our domestic food production.” In October, more than 300 persons applied for the Sustainable Food Growth Grant, which provided up to $50,000 in funding to food producers such as farmers, fishers and agribusiness practitioners. Minister Sweeting introduced three recipients of the sustainable food growth grants. He said the offering was oversubscribed at its deadline on October 7.  The recipients include: Johnelle Lewis (VNET Multi Enterprise); Shomekhan Cargill (Well Mudda Fungus) and Lance Pinder (Abaco Big Bird Poultry). Minister Sweeting said the country faces constant threats of hurricanes, which can disrupt growing capacity and also faces challenges in getting millennials and young people interested in traditional farming due to its nature of being labour intensive and uncertain. He said that smart technologies can address these challenges. “Thankfully, we have talented Bahamians who are adept [at] new and emerging technologies, and we will continue to provide a platform for education, research and opportunities to increase awareness and promote opportunity in this sector.” The Accelerator, Small Business Development Centre (SBDC) Interim Executive Director, Samantha Rolle said that the grant is a timely one, given its focus on this sector.  “As climate change continues to threaten food production systems globally, The Bahamas must be quick to pivot and recognize the growing importance of technology in food innovation,” said Ms. Rolle. “Following the successful launch of the Sustainable Food Growth Grant, we saw tremendous public engagement in achieving more sustainable food production, which was encouraging. This additional funding will allow businesses to incorporate climate change technology and further support our national efforts to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change.”

THE Bahamas Feeding Network has expressed concern about the recent rise in hunger, calling it a "crisis" to which all Bahamians must pay attention.

 

“It’s sad and shocking to see the extent of this issue in The Bahamas,” Mario Carey, director of BFN, said. “This is a crisis that isn’t being adequately addressed. How is it that in The Bahamas so many people go hungry every day and it’s such a struggle to feed them?” #Bishop Walter Hanchell, founder and president of Great Commission Ministries, said that he is concerned about the recent need in Bahamian communities, as this has often been greater than the resources that his organisation has on hand. # BFN has supported Great Commission Ministries for nearly 10 years along with supporting nearly 100 other feeding centres. # “Every day you see it. And we are seeing more middle-class people who are now struggling,” he said. # Bishop Hanchell said he hopes to see more support from private citizens, local businesses as well as the government to support feeding programmes. # “We help as many as we can, but, of course, we have limited resources. We are going to be asking a lot of corporate Bahamas, and the government and private citizens to make that happen,” he said. # Bishop Hanchell added, “In November we celebrate 35 years of nonstop ministry and we thank God for the Bahamas Feeding Network and all that they have done to support us over the years. They have been a tremendous blessing. It’s not been an easy road but the Lord has been with us.” # He said Great Commission Ministries also plans to address the issue of homelessness through the construction of a 100-bed shelter next year. # BFN Executive Director Archdeacon James Palacious said the network spends over $120,000 on its monthly efforts and a generous patron, who has been covering the rent of the BFN facility also helps to ensure that just a small percentage of donations goes towards administration costs. # Archdeacon Palacious said while he is grateful for any support, more is still needed. # “It’s concerning to see the extent of the need in our country. This is beatable. We can beat this if people buy into it and everyone makes a contribution,” he said. # He said the demand BFN is facing has remained consistently high, particularly as Bahamians continue to struggle with the increased cost of living and high unemployment rates. # “And at the Bahamas Feeding Network, we do all we can to provide assistance, but the demand is great and ceaseless. We deeply appreciate and ask for the continued support of the business community and the public at large to be able to carry on our work in these difficult times,” said Archdeacon Palacious. # These remarks come just days ahead of the BFN’s inaugural golf tournament, ‘Tee Off for Hunger’ which BFN hopes will raise funds to provide more than 50,000 meals in the fight against hunger. # In recent months, BFN has been providing more than 70,000 meals per month to the most vulnerable in The Bahamas. And Archdeacon Palacious said the hunger problem in the country continues to be a dire one. # Great Commission Ministries provides hot meals to roughly 500 people each day, in addition to distributing meals to the sick and shut-in, as well as the provision of grocery packages to struggling families. # On Friday, Social Services and Urban Development Minister Obie Wilchcombe announced that the government’s social assistance programme, now with a budgeted $21 million, will be joined by the RISE programme next month. # “There are many in our country, particularly in areas that were affected by Hurricane Dorian and the pandemic who are still hurting today,” Mr Wilchcombe said. # “There’s so many of our people who need food. So many of our people need shelter. The bottom line is we are seeking to wipe the tears from every eye and it doesn’t matter who or where they are. We’re searching them out. And we will.”

“It’s sad and shocking to see the extent of this issue in The Bahamas,” Mario Carey, director of BFN, said. “This is a crisis that isn’t being adequately addressed. How is it that in The Bahamas so many people go hungry every day and it’s such a struggle to feed them?”

Bishop Walter Hanchell, founder and president of Great Commission Ministries, said that he is concerned about the recent need in Bahamian communities, as this has often been greater than the resources that his organisation has on hand.

BFN has supported Great Commission Ministries for nearly 10 years along with supporting nearly 100 other feeding centres.

“Every day you see it. And we are seeing more middle-class people who are now struggling,” he said.

Bishop Hanchell said he hopes to see more support from private citizens, local businesses as well as the government to support feeding programmes.

“We help as many as we can, but, of course, we have limited resources. We are going to be asking a lot of corporate Bahamas, and the government and private citizens to make that happen,” he said.

Bishop Hanchell added, “In November we celebrate 35 years of nonstop ministry and we thank God for the Bahamas Feeding Network and all that they have done to support us over the years. They have been a tremendous blessing. It’s not been an easy road but the Lord has been with us.”

He said Great Commission Ministries also plans to address the issue of homelessness through the construction of a 100-bed shelter next year.

BFN Executive Director Archdeacon James Palacious said the network spends over $120,000 on its monthly efforts and a generous patron, who has been covering the rent of the BFN facility also helps to ensure that just a small percentage of donations goes towards administration costs.

Archdeacon Palacious said while he is grateful for any support, more is still needed.

“It’s concerning to see the extent of the need in our country. This is beatable. We can beat this if people buy into it and everyone makes a contribution,” he said.

He said the demand BFN is facing has remained consistently high, particularly as Bahamians continue to struggle with the increased cost of living and high unemployment rates.

“And at the Bahamas Feeding Network, we do all we can to provide assistance, but the demand is great and ceaseless. We deeply appreciate and ask for the continued support of the business community and the public at large to be able to carry on our work in these difficult times,” said Archdeacon Palacious.

These remarks come just days ahead of the BFN’s inaugural golf tournament, ‘Tee Off for Hunger’ which BFN hopes will raise funds to provide more than 50,000 meals in the fight against hunger.

In recent months, BFN has been providing more than 70,000 meals per month to the most vulnerable in The Bahamas. And Archdeacon Palacious said the hunger problem in the country continues to be a dire one.

Great Commission Ministries provides hot meals to roughly 500 people each day, in addition to distributing meals to the sick and shut-in, as well as the provision of grocery packages to struggling families.

On Friday, Social Services and Urban Development Minister Obie Wilchcombe announced that the government’s social assistance programme, now with a budgeted $21 million, will be joined by the RISE programme next month.

“There are many in our country, particularly in areas that were affected by Hurricane Dorian and the pandemic who are still hurting today,” Mr Wilchcombe said.

“There’s so many of our people who need food. So many of our people need shelter. The bottom line is we are seeking to wipe the tears from every eye and it doesn’t matter who or where they are. We’re searching them out. And we will.”

 

Following a recent week-long agricultural tour and immersion experience in Jamaica, Agricultural Development Organization (ADO) Executive Chairman Philip Smith said The Bahamas could benefit from the learning experiences of its regional neighbour which produces a massive amount of the food consumed on island in addition to successfully exporting products.

“I was amazed at what I saw,” said Smith, “the complexity of it all in commercial farming and how well it was done. There is so much that The Bahamas can learn from Jamaica, especially in large scale farming and agribusiness.”

One of the most important elements, Smith said, is the level of commitment and engagement.  

“In Jamaica, 25 percent of the labour force is engaged in agriculture. In The Bahamas, it is less than one percent and even of that one percent, the majority are over 60 years old.”

ADO is out to change that, restoring a sense of achievement and satisfaction in growing what you eat on a backyard faming scale and understanding the steps necessary to create a successful agribusiness on a larger scale.  

Smith was a member of a delegation to Jamaica, which also included the Department of Agriculture, BAMSI and BAIC, and was led by Minister of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Family Island Affairs Clay Sweeting.

During the visit, Sweeting met with Jamaica’s Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Pearnel Charles Jr., to discuss efforts to enhance the agricultural and fishing industries of both countries. The delegation also attended the Denbigh Agricultural Industrial Food Show, and visited various farming organizations and operations across Jamaica.

Smith said the poultry conglomerates were of particular interest to him, as he noted the potential in The Bahamas given that more than $60 million worth of poultry products are imported into the country annually.  

Food insecurity has been a growing concern in The Bahamas, which is still grappling with the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic that came on the heels of Hurricane Dorian.

And Smith said that in a country where 90 percent of the food consumed is imported, record inflation has only exacerbated the daily struggle of many Bahamians to put food on the table.

“It’s extremely important particularly considering what’s been happening recently with food prices,” he said. “The price of food has skyrocketed.  

“During the pandemic, we saw that so many persons were food insecure. And today even, I would think that you may find that the number today is still close to 20 percent, as it relates to persons who are food insecure.”  

ADO, which was launched in January with a $1.1 million donation from Bahamas-based FTX, plays an integral role in the effort to increase food security in The Bahamas.

The organization is committed to working with government and various sectors of society to support agricultural development with a dual goal of increased food independence and a healthier diet with less dependence on processed food and more enjoyment of freshly grown produce and food products.   

Presently, ADO is focusing on its backyard, church and community faming initiatives, which Smith calls “a game-changing first step” in combatting food insecurity.

“We believe that persons who are food insecure can be helped by planting themselves to feed themselves,” Smith said. “So, we would not have to ask for so much money to buy food to feed the poor like we have been doing for years. We can now help persons to feed themselves as we assist them with farming in their own yards.”

As Bahamian families continue to grapple with the increasing cost of living, a leading agriculture-focused non-profit today threw its support behind recent calls for greater efforts to improve food security in The Bahamas.

In a country where almost 90 percent of the food consumed is imported, Agricultural Development Organization (ADO) Executive Chairman Philip Smith said the time for action is now.

“As inflation rates increase, food security becomes even more of a concern for us in The Bahamas,” he said. “It is important now more than ever that we not only speak about food security but also take steps that move us towards being a more food secure nation.” Food security has been at the forefront of national discussion in recent years, with crisis after crisis highlighting the urgent need to reduce The Bahamas’ annual food import bill of more than $1 billion. Calling last week for serious steps to be taken to meet that objective, The Bahamas' representative for the Caribbean Agricultural and Research Development Institute (CARDI) Dr. Shelley Bridgewater pointed to agricultural empowerment as a key in increasing the country’s food security.

Launched just six months ago with a $1.1 million donation from Bahamas-based FTX, ADO has already become a driving force, committed to working with government and various sectors of society to support agricultural development for greater food independence.

“At Agricultural Development Organization, we are dedicated to assisting existing farmers with market access and funding while inspiring others to become farmers,” Smith said.

“We have already started to inject funds into key sectors of the industry and are going to continue to assist where, after much research, we believe our investments will bring about the greatest results for food security throughout The Bahamas.”

Both major governing party administrations have stood firmly behind a game-changing policy that encourages hotels, restaurants and food stores to source 40 percent of all food locally. Toward that end, ADO is aiding farmers with technology and methodology to boost output and plans to work with BAMSI, BTVI and other agencies engaged in beefing up the agricultural sector.

ADO has already donated more than $500,000 to various initiatives to help bolster food security in The Bahamas.

Those donations include a $300,000 donation to the Bahamas Feeding Network (BFN) for funding of its food parcel initiative; a $197,000 donation to the Church Commercial Farming Group to seed broad-based backyard farming; and most recently, a $50,000 donation in supplies to the aid farming programs at 21 government schools spread across six Bahamian islands.

In addition to Smith, ADO operates with a full-time staff of three. There is a powerful board of directors that includes the Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Clay Sweeting, 13 committees, each with a specific role and a steering committee that includes Sysco Bahamas President Karen Casey, FTX Capital Markets President Ryan Salome, Royal Caribbean International President & CEO Michael Bayley, Deltec Chairman Jean Chalopin, Foundation Director Dr. Ana Everette, developer Jason Kinsale, PR executive Diane Phillips and the chairman in his capacity.