Agriculture in Saint Lucia

My Buddy Donni a fellow Hoosier Peace Corps Volunteer gave me some straight talk info on Agriculture in Saint Lucia to help me prepare for my interview with the Gates Foundation. I hope you find it as interesting, open and frank as I did.

Country,

Sorry, I've been a bit unmindful of my offer to send you some briefing notes for your interview with the Gates Foundation. If I remember correctly, you flew out today, so hopefully this doesn't come entirely too late.

Recent history for St. Lucian agriculture has been the WTO ruling against preferential trading with the UK that occurred in 1997. Many livelihood were destroyed in St. Lucia as farmers were unfamiliar with planting other marketable crops (seeing as dasheen, breadfruit, and green figs don't sell at a high price). Many farmers moved to Martinique to work on banana farms their, which had maintain preferential trading with France, as it is a French territory. It also means that people can get paid in Euros. If I understand correctly, basically people can go and work for two weeks at a time and that's it, so it prevents massive migration, but it still common even now for people to go to Martinique to work.

In 2000, the National Fair Trade Organization started and has slowly incorporated almost all banana farmers into its auspices around the island. They export bananas to the UK (I believe exclusively, though that's not a requirement) as a fair trade brand. The premium that is paid by customers for the fair trade bananas from St. Lucia is then put into a fund for social projects, which in Dennery has included a computer lab for a primary school, support for the community centre I've worked on, an autoclave for the Dennery hospital to sterilize their medical tools, etc. Farmers are involved in making the decisions as to which projects to support. Additionally, farmers have to comply with some environmental restrictions like the reduction and limited use of pesticides, not planting next to rivers to prevent chemical runoff. And some health requirements, all farms now have pit toilets.

It's difficult to diversify crops in St. Lucia for two main reasons: first, it's expensive. To grow other crops profitably, farmers need the significant capital to pay for the sowing, harvesting, and distribution, while also daily living expenses before being able to recoup their money with successful sales (which is obviously no guarantee). Bananas provide regular income, every two weeks, while all other crops basically require waiting for several months for a payday. Also, because of the rainy and dry seasons having a greenhouse is a significant advantage in terms of avoiding some natural gluts and gaps in the market caused by weather. Setting up a greenhouse is relatively cheap, since it is pvc and plastic sheets, though the sheets ware out because of the intense sunshine and need to be replaced every few years and must be imported from Miami or somewhere else. Most farmers don't have enough saving to invest in a greenhouse. Which leads to the second reason: people are resistant to change. Much of this is clearly linked to a lack of education, whether it is in regard to farmer techniques, financial management, or understanding the market. If one farmer is successful in trying something new, others will follow. But their is significant personal financial requirements to going it alone and some social pressure to avoid any sort of public failure in small, rural communities. All of this contributes to slow changes.

Markets are available. Large luxury hotels continue to import many crops that could be grown locally, if a stable supply chain could be established. But the pushing and tugging and investment in teaching and explanation involved upfront is usually more than any one individual in the Ministry of Agriculture seems can accomplishing. As an example of group think, no risk mentality, is the regular glut of tomatoes on the market in St. Lucia. Everyone seems plant at the same time, driving down the prices of tomatoes, which is provided in a constant supply, would provide a better price to all sellers. But the coordination is extremely challenging. Even Fair Trade is often just tolerated by farmers because it's the only game in town. I've heard several farmers complain about the reduction in the use of chemicals and how that affects their yields, plus the sentiment that the leaders of fair trade are just their for themselves. It's rather astonishing.

I think you should also talk about the youth and how adverse they are to farm work, because it's seen as backwards and poor, even though if they worked wisely, one could make a very comfortable living farming.

Also, probably good to know, is that all of the major banana producing areas produced sugar cane into the 50s and 60s, when it shifted entirely to bananas. Land redistribution programs away from the large sugar estates has meant that most people have access to land, often around 3 acres. Few have more than that. In the 80s, bananas were sold very profitably and were referred to as green gold. This period is responsible for much of the deforestation that has dried up the east side of the island. People began squatting, buying, and farming on the hillsides, slashing much needed forest. The forest reserve in the center of St. Lucia was established in the 1940s, I believe, when the population of the island was only 50,000, less than one-third of what it is now. So, with the boom in population, the current forest reserve is insufficient for all of the various water needs, especially better irrigation to permit the growth of the agricultural sector.

alright bro, hope that can be of service. I'm traveling back to Goshen tomorrow, so I won't have email.

good luck!

Lando

--
"The ideals which have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been kindness, beauty, and truth." ~Albert Einstein

Burning Saint Lucia's Rain Forests and Hills for Charcoal

Here is a excellent photo I took as I was heading up a valley hill for a site visit to Anse La Verdue to visit one of the rabbit project sites. You can see the charcoal making pit here, notice how much of the surrounding vegetation was stripped to make this charcoal.



With the downturn of the economy and escalating food prices people are turning back to stripping the rain forest and valleys of Saint Lucia for small trees and brush to create charcoal. The charcoal is used for home cooking and is extremely popular for barbecuing and use with traditional coal pot cooking.

A good Charcoal burn can earn someone 1200-1500 EC. Compare that to working 6 days a week at one of the resorts where your take home pay is only 1300-1500 EC a month and you can see why this can be a lucrative alternative income. Ladera Resort would be an exception to this with them treating and paying their employees well, in fact Ladera employs Saint Lucian's in top management positions, an example I wish other resorts would follow more often.

Here you can see Mango season in in full effect with delicious mangoes dropping to the ground to rot.



A view of the Charcoal burning pits from the other side of the valley.


Long term the effects of stripping the rain forest and hills of trees and low laying vegetation is increased flooding, landslides and erosion. The other effect in this stripping is the removal of a natural filtration system for the rain. Most villages take their water supplies directly from the waterfalls. The dense forest material acts as a natural filtration system removing pollution and other elements. To make matters worse the rain is picking up the charcoal residue from the pits and clearings adding that to the drinking water. Playing the devils advocate, charcoal is commonly used for filtration so whether this is harmful to the drinking water is unknown.

I have noticed a DRAMATIC increase in the charcoal burning since the oil and food prices has skyrocketed. If you drive from the capitol Castries down the west side of the island to Soufriere you will see some of the burning pits are next to the road, I know of six that can be seen.

We also have charcoal burning happening in the Canaries Rain Forest now, typically a one acre area is cut down and stripped to the bare earth with the large and small trees and brushwood being burnt slowly in smoldering dirt pits for charcoal. Afterwards dasheen/taro is planted for two seasons until the soil is stripped of its minerals and the rain forest grows back recapturing the land until it is stripped again. It used to only occur in a few instances but not I can count at least 8 new areas where this is happening in Canaries Rain Forest valley.

Here is a shot in the rain forest of an area cleared for charcoal and dasheen/taro planting.


A good shot facing into the rain forest hill.


Here is another area that has been stripped, you can see the charcoal pit below.


Take notice of the bags of charcoal ready to be picked up to be sold in the villages and Castries.

A pristine shot of the rain forest as a reminder of the precious resource that it is.



I am neutral on judging anyone on this, I just want to show the reality of what is happening.

It all goes back to economics.