2024: Progress Despite Hurdles by Brent Simon  

As the Ministry of Agriculture in Antigua and Barbuda reflects on 2024, the year was marked by both significant achievements and persistent challenges. Brent Georges/Project Coordinator in the Ministry, provided insights into the successes of the past year and the Ministry’s plans heading into 2025.

The completion of the FAO Water-Energy-Food Nexus Project, stands as one of the Ministry’s landmark achievements for 2024.  This project addressed water scarcity – a critical issue in Antigua and Barbuda exacerbated by climate change. Under this initiative, some farmers received 1,000-gallon tanks while others were gifted 5,000-gallon water bladders to improve irrigation and manage drought conditions. Complementing the storage solutions, climate-smart technologies such as solar-powered micro-irrigation systems were introduced to enhance efficiency. Training sessions on effective water management were also conducted, empowering farmers to increase resilience. Its successful execution underscores the Ministry’s commitment to addressing one of the most pressing challenges in agriculture today.

One of the main challenges in 2024, was the timely provision of resources, particularly ploughing services. This issue, tied to both government and private sector inefficiencies, had a cascading impact on agricultural timelines. Late ploughing often delayed planting cycles, reducing yields and affecting overall productivity. Mr. Georges, stated that addressing this bottleneck will be crucial for future agricultural planning.

Water availability also remained a significant challenge throughout the year. Limited access to reliable water sources compounded the struggles of farmers, especially during critical planting and harvesting periods. The Ministry recognizes the need to develop more robust water storage solutions, and promote water-efficient farming techniques to mitigate these issues in the future.

Prominent in the Ministry’s agenda for 2025 is the launch of the AMEXID Project in January. The AMEXID Project refers to a collaborative initiative facilitated by the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (AMEXID). This organization focuses on promoting sustainable development through international partnerships, primarily between Mexico and other countries. The project in Antigua, aims to address climate adaption issues, focusing on water resources and land management for sustainable agriculture. Its integration with FAO’s broader Resilient Caribbean initiative underscores the regional effort to combat climate vulnerabilities.

Meanwhile, two ongoing projects spearheaded by the Inter American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), will continue:

  1. The Antigua Black Rehabilitation Project, focuses on the revitalization of this indigenous pineapple, the iconic crop, using innovative techniques, including tissue culture propagation. Managed by the Ministry of Agriculture with support from IICA and CARDI, the project has delivered 10,000 tissue-cultured plantlets, and a final batch of 5,000 will be delivered inn January. Training sessions were delivered focusing on propagation and advanced cultivation methods, such as fertigation and DNA fingerprinting, seeking to ensure crop authenticity and sustainability. The project based at the Cade’s Bay Pineapple Research Station, is supporting local farmers and aims to boost production over the next three year
  2. The Next Generation Sweet Potato Project, seeks to enhance the resilience and productivity of sweet potato farming through collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, CARDI, and local farmers associations. The initiative provides training, promotes climate-smart farming techniques, and supports the development of disease-resistant sweet potato strains. This project contributes to food security and sustainable agricultural practices, addressing local challenges such as pest management and soil health.

While 2024 showcased Antigua and Barbuda capacity to innovate and adapt, the sector must address recurring challenges, particularly resource management and water infrastructure. With projects like the AMEXID and IICA’s initiatives on the horizon, the outlook for 2025 is promising. The integration of innovative solutions with strategic planning will be critical to ensuring long-term resilience and sustainability.