Increasing Access to Climate-Adaptive Agriculture

Climate-resilient agriculture and aquaculture technology to protect and transform fragile coastal communities

Alleviating the problems of food security and poverty in Jamaica depends heavily upon a vibrant and resilient agriculture sector, which is currently at high risk due to threats posed by poor agricultural management and changing weather patterns. The island is highly vulnerable to the ongoing and future threats of climate change, particularly increasing frequency and intensity of storms, increasing temperatures, extended periods of drought, variations in rainfall and rising sea levels.

Of particular concern are: 1) decreased agricultural production from combined effects of growing water scarcity and soil erosion exacerbated by changing wind patterns; and 2) decreased availability of high quality water resources due to saltwater intrusion into the aquifers from rising sea levels and over-pumping of groundwater resources, combined with declining quality of surface waters from increased storm water runoff caused by intense rain events.

As Jamaica’s natural resources continue to suffer from climate change impacts, and as economic opportunities for small farmers decline, it is imperative to introduce viable, income-generating livelihood alternatives.

In 2011, INMED Partnerships for Children and its in-country affiliate, INMED Caribbean, introduced a revolutionary approach to address the interrelated issues of climate resilience, poverty, food security and natural resource conservation among small farmers, fisherfolk and youth in Jamaica’s rural and coastal communities. Our program focused on climate change adaptation through aquaponics—an innovative, intensive food production technology combining vegetable and fish production in a symbiotic system that uses 90% less water and produces much more in the same space as conventional agriculture, with far less physical labor and no chemical inputs.

Now, we are focused on expanding our aquaponics program as the cornerstone of a strategy to develop the entire supply chain—including technology, training, and access to financing and markets—to achieve adaptive, sustainable livelihoods. We have demonstrated proof of concept and enthusiasm for the technology by small-scale farmers; we are training farmers and agriculture extension agents with online and direct training and mentoring; and we have developed partnerships with financial institutions and market leaders. Youth, women and the disabled are among those already prospering through INMED’s aquaponics initiatives in the Caribbean, Latin America and southern Africa.

Using Jamaica as a model and then scaling globally, INMED’s high-impact, integrated solution can catalyze a new agricultural revolution. Every $1 invested now will generate $200 in economic value over 20 years, igniting an economic revolution in communities most vulnerable to climate change. Our project can create pathways out of poverty across the value chain for millions worldwide while preserving our environment—including in fragile coastal communities. At the same time, climate change education and training in aquaponics among youth in vulnerable conservation corridors will open new vocational opportunities that respond to the challenges of climate change, and inspire the next generation of agricultural producers and environmental stewards.

Our solution is innovative in promoting aquaponics as a commercially viable application of an existing technology to help Jamaican farmers and fisherfolk adapt to the effects of climate change on their livelihoods and provide others in coastal communities with a climate-smart means of generating income. It also takes a holistic approach to enterprise development by addressing constraints with markets, financing and knowledge. With harvest volumes and earning potential superior to conventional agriculture, farmers and non-farmers alike recognize aquaponics as a game-changer in considering agriculture as a viable career. As one Jamaican youth observed, “It’s technology, not a hoe and shovel.”

The cornerstone of our solution is the climate-smart aquaponics technology, which requires substantially less water, energy, labor and inputs compared to traditional agriculture, while producing more in the same space and yielding superior-quality harvests. Aquaponics crops weigh more per unit, have longer shelf life, and can command higher prices compared to soil-grown varieties. Aquaponics can far surpass traditional farming production in times of drought and protect natural resources, especially in vulnerable coastal communities. Aquaponics can also be employed where soil quality is compromised or space is limited, enabling urban farming, and where wild fisheries are overfished and degraded. 

With the proof of concept for INMED’s aquaponics technology well established in Jamaica (as well as in South Africa and Peru), our goal over the next 12 months is to integrate several critical components to develop a sustainable and replicable model to increase access to climate-smart agriculture. Specifically, we will:

• Enhance technical and business capacity among small-scale farmers—particularly in coastal communities—for aquaponics production to support climate resilience, economic stability, and food and water security
• Build stronger value chain linkages for aquaponics production and market success 
• Structure customized financial products for credit in partnership with local financial institutions

Our five-year vision—for which we are currently seeking other grant/investment funds—is to accelerate the timeline for expansion to enable 1,500 farmers in Jamaica and coastal communities throughout the Caribbean to launch aquaponics enterprises. We plan to establish a self-sustaining training/consolidation/research and development center to create economies of scale in reaching trainees, purchasing bulk supplies and consolidating harvests from multiple aquaponics farms, with cold storage, packaging and transport to supply large markets. The R&D center will support experimentation, refinement and optimization of the aquaponics system design and complementary components such as solar power, fish feed development and rainwater harvesting.

Surveys conducted by Jamaica’s Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) show significant farmer interest in and demand for aquaponics (74% of respondents). A pipeline of participant candidates will be identified through outreach in collaboration with RADA. Earlier project phases included strong participation by women, and the new project aims to maintain engagement with women through its outreach and training activities. It will also target youth, working through a direct relationship with the College of Agriculture, Science and Education, where a demonstration/training aquaponics system is currently being built, and whose graduates will be trained in aquaponics.

Our current solution in Jamaica launched this year with the first technical training workshops for farmers and agriculture extension agents who will support future farmers (60 participants so far). In previous phases, we served 12,000+ individuals, many in coastal communities, by establishing aquaponics systems with small-scale farmers, farming cooperatives, fisherfolk, schools, a youth group, a cooperative for the disabled, and a youth detention facility. Depending on the setting, these participants generated income and/or increased their food security—and all learned about the critical need for climate change-adaptive agricultural solutions in the context of the Jamaican environment.

Within 12 months, we expect to deliver core training in our aquaponics technology and the complementary business skills needed to successfully manage a commercial-scale aquaponics enterprise to at least 40 small-scale farmers. We anticipate that approximately 20 farmers will implement aquaponics systems within the next 12 months, earning an average of $15,000 each in the subsequent year and creating up to 20 full-time, part-time and seasonal jobs per system. Within three years, we expect to train 120 farmers, 80 of whom launch aquaponics systems, plus 40 extension agents/trainers who provide ongoing troubleshooting and technical assistance. 

INMED already has key partnerships in place and a qualified, experienced team ready to implement the solution, including:

• Program lead with 30 years of experience in engaging and motivating partners/investors
• Technical advisor (40 years experience) to provide guidance on project design, execution, quality assurance and continuity for pathways to scaling
• Agri-business specialist (20 years experience) to lead business planning and management activities, guiding training delivery and coaching for aquaponics farmers’ enterprise development
• Aquaponics experts to provide technical leadership and plan for regional expansion
• Aquaponics trainers to lead training activities for aquaponics farmers
• Development, M&E, marketing/communications, finance, operations

Building on nearly a decade of work in which we have become a global leader in the implementation of aquaponics for development, our solution is strongly positioned for sustainability. In Jamaica, we are building local capacity and embedding sustainability through rigorous training, ongoing technical assistance delivered by extension agents and service providers in the value chain, and access to markets and financing for aquaponics entrepreneurs. Independent analysis shows that INMED’s medium-sized commercial-scale aquaponics system (2,600 ft2 footprint) has the capacity to produce conservative minimum gross revenues averaging US$15,000 per year—more than 300% of the national GDP per person.

The MIT Solve Challenge will bring heightened global visibility to our solution. We also recognize that it can provide valuable mentorship to help us further refine and optimize our aquaponics technology and complementary power and operational systems. Furthermore, the connections and networking opportunities made possible through the challenge can help enable scaling of our solution from Jamaica’s coastal communities to elsewhere in the Caribbean and beyond. 

Potential barriers for our solution to succeed include low uptake of the new technology (i.e., aquaponics) due to lack of awareness, uncertain expectations, and fear of the unknown, or disrupted behavior change or discontinuance of commitment to the technology during the learning curve. Currently in Jamaica, we work to mitigate this risk through government endorsement, intensive training, and ongoing troubleshooting and technical support (including mobile messaging). Solve could provide critical support through the channels for which it is most appropriately positioned: introducing strategies and delivering mentorship to help us promote the understanding and acceptance of the technology among new adopters.