Case study on introduction of aquaponics for sustainable food crop production: Petite Martinique Women in Action (PMWIA)
Local food production is good for local economies, but in small islands like Petite Martinique that have scarce water resources, some degree of innovation is needed to grow crops year-round. The smallest of the islands that make up the tri-island state of Grenada, Petite Martinique has an area of 2.5 km2 and a population of about 900 people who live mainly in coastal villages. It is located just north of Grenada and is accessible only by boat. One group that has been taking steps to increase the availability of fresh food is Petite Martinique Women in Action (PMWIA). Operating out of the community of Madam Pierre since 2016, PMWIA is a local civil society organisation that aims to empower women and youth on the island through gender balance initiatives and livelihood creation geared at sustainable economic development. PMWIA produces produce vegetables commercially using a greenhouse and aquaponics system powered by solar energy. The PMWIA case study was developed under the regional project ‘Powering Innovations in Civil Society and Enterprises for Sustainability in the Caribbean’ (PISCES), which was funded by the European Union EuropeAid programme and implemented by the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) from 2017 to 2021.