new climate-smart agriculture pilot project has been launched in three Caribbean territories.
The Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator (CCSA) through funding from Sony Global Justice Fund and the support of agriculture technology company Fork Farms has granted 12 vertical indoor hydroponics systems to the governments of Anguilla and the Cayman Islands and to the Walkers Institute for Regenerative Research, Education and Design (WIRRED) in Barbados.
The CCSA pilot includes five flex farms each for the governments of Anguilla and the Cayman Islands and two units for WIRRED.
The flex farm is a mobile hydroponic systems that can grow lettuce, greens, herbs and a variety of other foods on-site, quickly, efficiently, affordably and all year long. One flex farm can grow 25 pounds of lettuce every 28 days.
A flex farm requires only nine -square-feet of space and a standard electrical outlet for operation. Compared to traditional agriculture, the Flex Farm requires zero food miles to be travelled, provides 45 times more food production, and uses 98 per cent less water and land.
In Anguilla, the Department of Natural Resources (DNaR) will issue units to public primary schools with feeding programmes.
In the Cayman Islands, Beacon Farms, a workspace for individuals recovering from drug and alcohol abuse will receive two units. Another three units will be placed in high schools in Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac where students will be exposed to agricultural training for the first time.
For WIRRED both units will be housed at Walkers Reserve, a 277-acre space that is the largest regeneration project of its kind in the region and model for climate adaptation and resilience.
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