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Bahamas: More Crops per Drop
June 2003

By Denis Chabrol, CERN correspondent

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As in many small island nations, low rainfall levels in the Bahamas threaten food security. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has started an agricultural improvement programme is to to help farmers make best use of the water they have. It is located in one of the low rain forest island in the Bahamas and aims to use a low volume irrigation system, such as drip irrigation and micro sprinklers, to ensure that farmers do not extract too much water at once, since these areas have a thin layer of fresh water sitting on the soil.

"Agricultural resources in the Bahamas are plentiful. What is needed is better management of the water resources," says Leon Stanley-Smith, an agronomist and agricultural officer responsible for extension work in rural Bahamas. Irrigation is one of the best incentives, according to Stanley-Smith. "This particular island where we operate, their major crops are onion, Irish potatoes, hot peppers and substantial amounts of pigeon peas, a staple food, are grown also."

The next step, says Stanley-Smith, is to expand the scale of production "because the scale at which they are producing currently is too small". There are also attempts to get them into a limited amount of food processing. Some of the islands which grow pigeon peas, will be helped to set up their own businesses. The programme will assist them with small to medium scale technology to can the peas.

"Often, Government takes too long to release funds to move ahead with certain projects," says Stanley-Smith. "But in this case there is a special fund. We are able to move immediately with these projects and not wait for money to secure input."

The key to improving the lot of the farmers is organising the community. The ministry of agriculture in the Bahamas has helped the farmers set up and promote a rural association. There are also efforts to get the youth involved in agriculture. This is not going to be an easy task, but the agriculture ministry is optimistic, says Stanley-Smith.

"What we are trying to do really is start from the ground with the students," says Stanley-Smith. "We think we have our best chance to integrate everything if we can get to young minds because there is very little we can do with the old folks."

"We need to expose the children to the scientific aspect of agriculture so that they can gain an appreciation for it," notes Stanley-Smith. "When they see it in the rural community, they can know there is a better way."

"A lot of children might not feel that agriculture is the way to go because they are good in science," says Stanley-Smith. "But if they see that a lot of science is applied, they might give it some consideration."

This article is based on a transcription of Island Beat Radio.

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