In April 2024, the Caribbean Community (Caricom<\/a>), the intergovernmental body of Caribbean nations, estimated that approximately 3 million people out of 7.1 million (43%<\/a>) in the English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean were food insecure. While that amounted to a 17% reduction compared to May 2023, it was still a 78% increase<\/em> compared to 2020, at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The agricultural goals of the Caribbean are also being undermined by frequent catastrophic weather events. Dominica\u2019s food system, for example, is still recovering from Hurricane Maria in 2017: six days after the storm hit, the\u00a0intergovernmental\u00a0Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency reported that 100%<\/a> of the island\u2019s agriculture had been destroyed. Data gathered by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank illustrates that Dominican food imports have climbed<\/a> significantly, from XCD 110 million (USD 40.6 million) in 2017 to XCD 195 million in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A post-hurricane assessment<\/a> by Dominica\u2019s Ministry for Agriculture revealed significant losses and damages. The total loss for the crop and livestock sectors, including damages to farm buildings and equipment, was valued at USD 179.6 million. The government\u2019s Post-Disaster Needs Assessment found<\/a> the fisheries sector was also significantly affected, with approximately 128 vessels and a large amount of fishing gear and engines destroyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2024, the University of Notre Dame\u2019s Global Adaptation Initiative updated its index<\/a> of countries\u2019 vulnerability to climate change. This regularly updated list underlines the Caribbean region as having some of the most vulnerable national food systems in the world. The food rankings<\/a> \u2013 informed by indicators including cereal yields, population growth and food import dependency \u2013 placed Antigua and Barbuda at 181 out of 189 nations, St Kitts and Nevis at 176, Dominica at 127, the Bahamas at 120 and Barbados at 110.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A 2022 report<\/a> on Eastern Caribbean food systems explains this vulnerability: \u201cStructural shifts away from agriculture and towards services have led to a much greater reliance on imports to meet local and tourist food consumption demand.\u201d Co-published by the UN\u2019s Food and Agriculture Organization, the European Union and the International Cooperation Centre of Agricultural Research for Development, the report found the region\u2019s dependency on imported cereals to be almost 100%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n China\u2019s technical support via climate-smart agricultural technologies is providing a lifeline. Several Caribbean nations, such as the Bahamas, Barbados and Dominica have received support from both China\u2019s state and private sectors in building capacity to boost their agricultural sectors. This support has come in the form of both equipment and the endorsement of farming techniques that enhance local agricultural practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to data referenced by the US Republican party\u2019s Foreign Affairs Committee, Chinese investment in the Caribbean totalled more than USD 10 billion<\/a> during 2005-2022. The committee referenced the China Global Investment Tracker, which is co-published<\/a> by the American Enterprise Institute and The Heritage Foundation, a pair of conservative US think-tanks based in Washington DC. The tracker found these investments to cover areas such as infrastructure, tourism, transport and energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the Foreign Affairs Committee, bilateral trade between China and the Bahamas amounted to USD 492 million in 2022, a 40%<\/a> increase on the previous year. Diplomatic relations between the two nations were established in 1997<\/a>. As far back as 2009, the government of the Bahamas and Chinese investors have engaged in several diplomatic and trade projects. For example, in 2019 China signed a USD 12 million<\/a> agreement to fund \u201cupgrades to the National Stadium and other Bahamian development projects\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One area they were and remain serious about is agriculture. The interest is welcomed by Bahamian officials as they increase their food security and self-sufficiency. The US Department of Commerce\u2019s International Trade Administration estimates<\/a> the Bahamas imports 90% of its food at a cost of USD 1 billion annually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the first quarter of 2023, the Bahamian Ministry of Agriculture signed<\/a> a memorandum of understanding with Hunan province\u2019s Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, \u201cto initiate agricultural cooperation\u201d. The following year, China donated<\/a> tractors and tillers to the Bahamian Ministry of Agriculture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Deon Gibson, the Bahamas\u2019 director of agriculture, says China\u2019s involvement in agricultural development has been yielding promising results. He describes the establishment of greenhouses and open-air testing facilities, in conjunction with experts from Hunan province\u2019s agriculture and rural affairs department. They are experimenting with a variety of crops, including tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, and leafy greens. The goal is to simultaneously assess the compatibility of these crops to the Bahamian climate and soil conditions, and their resilience to climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe plan, according to the memorandum of understanding, is to assist Bahamian farmers in improving and increasing their production, improving local food security and food sovereignty,\u201d says Gibson. \u201cThe vision of the ministry and department is [for China] to assist us in helping to better equip Bahamian farmers to increase their own capacity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the Bahamas\u2019 Gladstone Road Agricultural Centre, greenhouses have been donated by the Chinese embassy, to be complemented by training and knowledge-sharing opportunities. Gibson says the latter are attended by technical staff from the islands\u2019 department of agriculture, local farmers and schools with agriculture programmes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll the produce that they have gotten has been donated to charitable causes,\u201d says Gibson. \u201cWe\u2019ve used some of the peppers in our food technology lab for food processing. Our food technology lab is used to show farmers different agri-processes, different markets, processing [and] pickling.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the Bahamas moves to improve its self-sufficiency in food production, Gibson says the Chinese-backed project is part of a revival of the country\u2019s \u201choly trinity\u201d of crops: tomatoes, peppers and onions. Gibson says this trio currently hold the top spots for the most imported goods to the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tomatoes and peppers are now being cultivated under this project. Gibson says this is cultivating the possibility of a future reboot of exports, of greater self-sufficiency, and value-added production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIronically, the tomato, the sweet pepper and the onion are things that we once exported. And so, rebuilding those industries, those particular, crop-specific industries locally, would be ideal,\u201d the director adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gibson believes more attention should be paid to leafy greens, which he says are becoming an increasingly strong earner for the country thanks to ramped-up production: \u201cI think we need to focus on those crops \u2013 our leafy greens. We [already] have quite a bit of lettuce production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFrom an agricultural perspective, I believe it gives hope to farmers to be able to help to pick up new methods or learn new things [\u2026] we really hope that it helps them to increase production.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gibson says the Bahamas can benefit from China\u2019s agricultural technology and knowledge of sustainable practices, efficient fertiliser usage, and marketing experiences. He wants the partnership to evolve and focus on other specific crops that are key elements of the local diet and tourism industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Similar memorandums of understanding with Chinese partners have been signed in Barbados<\/a> and Dominica.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In April 2024, the Barbados Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation signed<\/a> three agreements with Zoomlion<\/a>, a high-tech machinery manufacturer based in the city Changsha, central China. This will provide Barbados with two tractors, technical expertise on rice cultivation, and the creation of advanced hydroponics management systems. Other signatories included<\/a> the Barbadian minister for agriculture, food, and nutritional security, Indar Weir, and the governor of Hunan, Mao Weiming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"small](\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Scotts-Head-beach_Alamy_RP3TTN-scaled.jpg\")
<\/div>The Bahamas embraces Chinese agricultural expertise<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Holy trinity\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"man](\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Cat-Island-Bahamas_Alamy_RE86WD-2.jpg\")
<\/div>Joint projects in Barbados and Dominica<\/h2>\n\n\n\n