St Kitts is a lush tropical Caribbean island in the Leeward islands.  Sounds like paradise?  However it stands at the most critical point in its development since independence, as the country seeks to diversify its economy since the final closure of the sugar industry to secure a prosperous future for its people. One of the main areas of change is, of course, agriculture, where the rural communities are having to adapt to the significant change.  The whole structure of agriculture has changed, in particular moving from a single crop with centrally managed production to the complexity of coordinating supply of multiple products

A group of us went over to work with the farmers over the summer and it was refreshing to see the energy and enthusiasm.  During on-site farm visits, it was clear that farmers are demonstrating extraordinary effort and commitment in using the rich soil and tropical climate to produce a wide range of high quality fruit and vegetables.

A key mechanism to making this work has been the set up of farmer’s co-operatives.  The co-operative meet regularly to discuss their plans and progress.  There are a number of product-focused co-operatives who all come together to share their experience, pool their thinking and propose collective responses.  They work closely with the Marketing function to align supply and demand and to develop new products.  I was particularly impressed with the women’s co-operative groups who were developing innovative responses to the shift in the sector.  One group was producing a fantastic soup base using mis-shaped or spare vegetables; bringing a new convenient product to market, meeting the needs of busy lives and using what would normally be waste.

These groups will continue to shape the future structure and ways of working of the industry as they are now starting to discuss shared machinery, collaborative supply chains and export markets.

As the country stands at the beginning of a significant program of transformation, it has been inspiring to see how the co-operatives have provided mutual support to all the farmers who might otherwise be isolated.  Working co-operatively has meant a shared perspective and a feeling of support.   This has enabled them to progress with increased pace and confidence.  We look forward to keeping in touch with ongoing developments.