Pursuing Sustainable Agriculture in the Bahamas

Abstract

There is currently a distinct lack of domestic agricultural production in the Bahamas. As a result, food imports cost the country nearly $1 billion annually, causing both economic stress and food scarcity in some areas. The land in the Bahamas does not have characteristics suited to industrialized agriculture, but modern sustainable technologies could be viable agricultural options for Bahamians to pursue. These include hydroponics, aquaponics, and permaculture. Hydroponics and aquaponics use similar soilless technologies to produce food while permaculture is a land-based agricultural method that focuses on imitating natural ecosystems. While each of these methods have benefits and drawbacks, aquaponics seems to be the most promising method for the Bahamas because it can be used anywhere, regardless of soil quality or availability and provides the opportunity to produce both a protein food source in the form of fish and a vegetable or fruit food source. Producing sustainable food domestically through the use of aquaponics technology can boost the Bahamian economy by reducing agricultural imports and creating job opportunities in the agricultural sector.