Helen Charles, a second-generation farmer from the West Agricultural Region of Dominica, made a significant transition in her life. After serving as an accountant in the United Kingdom while raising her son as a single mother, she decided to return to her roots in Dominica. She wanted to honor the legacy of her father, who had managed the farm until his passing in 2021.
The family farm was primarily focused on coffee, citrus, poultry, and pigs. Despite challenges in sourcing timely labor during peak harvest seasons, Helen managed to produce close to 1000 kilos of coffee and a limitless supply of grapefruits, oranges and tangerines. Her coffee was pre-ordered by local boutique hotels and processors. Weekly sales at markets and supermarkets, along with seasonal pork sales, sustained the farm's operations.
It all came to a halt when Hurricane Maria hit Dominica in 2017. The catastrophic hurricane wreaked havoc, demolishing structures, homes, and tragically claiming lives. The agricultural and fisheries industries suffered the most. Estimates indicated that the combined crop and livestock industries incurred a total loss of $179.6 million.
Helen’s farm was not an exception. Hurricane Maria destroyed two of the three pig pens and 80% of fruit-bearing trees.
“It was a struggle to come to terms with the reality of what had happened: years of hard work and investment wiped away in an instant,” says Helen.
Helen found much-needed assistance from the Emergency Agricultural Livelihoods and Climate Resilience Project, a joint initiative of the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica and the World Bank. The project works to help Dominica restore agricultural livelihoods and enhance the climate resilience of farmers and fisher folk affected by Hurricane Maria.
The project provided funding and materials to restore pig housing and reconstruct the pens, roofing, and walls. Additionally, the project addressed critical issues such as the waste disposal system, recognizing that the soak-away method that Helen had was inadequate for managing the growing litter.
Furthermore, the project is helping Helen to build back better: the new buildings are built in a “climate-smart” way so that they can better withstand future climate-related challenges. For disaster-prone Dominica, this is a critical feature to have.
“As a small-scale farmer, I would not have been able to recover without this support. I also feel more responsibility on my shoulders, as I now employ 4 people on the farm. I hope to recover our operations as quickly as possible – and expand. There’s a lot of opportunities that we can tap into” says Helen.
As the construction on Helen's farm draws to a close, she looks into the future with renewed optimism. Despite the challenges she has faced, backed by support from the Emergency Agricultural Livelihoods and Climate Resilience Project, Helen is determined to turn her farm into a thriving business, that will benefit not just her, but also the wider community.
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The Dominica Emergency Agricultural Livelihoods and Climate Resilience project works to help Dominica restore agricultural livelihoods and enhance the climate resilience of farmers and fisher folk affected by Hurricane Maria in Dominica.
With the project’s support over 3,700 farmers, 20 percent of whom are women, were provided various assets, such as farming equipment, tractors, plows, irrigation systems, seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and other inputs necessary for crop cultivation. Over 150 beneficiaries received materials for livestock activities, and almost 30 structures such as barns, shelters, and feeding stations were constructed, with an additional 71 structures currently in progress. The project also was instrumental in revitalizing agricultural capacity on the island by restoring over 4,500 hectares of cropland, representing nearly 6 percent of Dominica's total land area.
Recognizing that the challenges posed by climate change will persist, the project introduced climate-resilient agricultural technologies to assist farmers in mitigating the adverse effects of climate change on crop production. These techniques included soil conservation practices, crop diversification, water management strategies, and agroforestry, among others.
In 2022, amid an escalating food security crisis, the project assisted the government in tackling the issue. It has provided grants to more than 3200 farmers to boost local agricultural production. These efforts contributed to improved food security across Dominica.
Authors
Winston Dawes, Senior Agriculture Economist, Agriculture and Food Practice Group, Latin America and the Caribbean
Eva Hasiner - Senior Agriculture Economist, Agriculture and Food Practice Group, Latin America and the Caribbean
