St Kitts and Nevis Launches Greenhouse Village Initiative for Food Security

On Friday, October 20, 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Marine Resources and Cooperatives of St Kitts and Nevis launched the Greenhouse Village Initiative near the outskirts of Newton Ground.

This marked a significant step towards achieving food security and sustainability. 

The Ministry expressed that the government is committed to enhancing crop production through this initiative.

In an address to the public, Minister Samal Duggins emphasised that the Greenhouse Village goes beyond being just a project. It is an approach that focuses on merging sustainable productivity with climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies for the future of agriculture in the region.

Impact of the Initiative

Minister, Samal Duggins stated that the Greenhouse Villages is a crucial step towards sustainability. He mentioned that this is a strategic measure to reduce the region’s expenses related to Food Import significantly.

In the project’s initial phase, 15 cutting-edge greenhouses are supposed to be constructed, which will focus on the large-scale production of priority crops. These crops include peppers, leafy greens, cucumbers, tomatoes and melons.

Permanent Secretary Miguel Flemming led this event. Furthermore, many senior government officials, dedicated technical staff, and enthusiastic crop farmers also became attendees.

The Greenhouse Villages is expected to reduce the food import bill by 25% by 2025. Therefore, it is one of the top priorities for the country at the moment.

There are a lot of advantages of greenhouses. These can be

• adaptation to climate change and management
• increased production and yield
• protection of crops from feral animals
• ensuring quality production
• maximizing profits for farmers and the general economy

Notably, the Agricultural sector contributed to just 1 % of GDP in the previous financial year. However, after the implementation of greenhouses, the Ministry of Agriculture will try to push it to around 10% in the near future. The long-term plans include an effort to push this towards 25% of contribution to GDP.

The Ministry of Agriculture of St. Kitts and Nevis issued a tender to purchase and install greenhouses on 9 October 2023.

The time given to submit these tenders is 13 November 2023.

The Greenhouse Village looks after the convenience and comfort of the community to live in a affordable owned home.