The Tribune

THE Ambassador to Morocco, William U Wong, visited One Eleuthera Foundation (OEF) and The Center for Training and Innovation (CTI) last month.

Mr Wong visited for a farm and campus tour at the Rock Sound property on March 16.

The visit included the “Oasis Grow House” the farm’s retractable 1.1-acre cooling house, now operating in full vegetable production mode.

In a statement, OEF said: “Increasing food security is of paramount importance to The Bahamas and part of the strategic plan for CTI and OEF. In his role, Ambassador Wong is seeking to provide support by facilitating new agricultural partnership opportunities between Morocco and The Bahamas.”

The tour exhibited sustainable farming techniques being practiced and taught to local farmers on CTI’s campus with an emphasis on the “Bato Bucket” hydroponics system - a high-yield, low-tech hydroponics system easily reproduced and currently producing cherry, heirloom and grape tomatoes and cucumbers which are distributed island-wide.

Ambassador Wong’s visit provided insight into sustainable farming being utilised on Eleuthera, as well as innovations such as the grow house, which uses technology and weather-sensitive sensors to create and maintain optimum growing conditions for crops by opening and closing its roof and wall panels to regulate internal conditions and control wind, temperature, and rain exposure.

For the first time, the CTI farm will be able to maintain vegetable production throughout the scorching summer months to supply Eleuthera’s communities and businesses with fresh greens and healthful produce year-round.

Mr Wong said: “Further recognising the need for self-sufficiency in the Bahamas and a de-westernisation of our diets, I will be seeking a less expensive source of food for Bahamians and ways to enhance local farming and Morocco is willing to help.

“The first step is establishing an embassy and footprint in Morocco and then strategising with the relevant governmental agencies, and agricultural organisations and institutions in both territories to explore synergies, best practices and opportunities to cross-train our people in different, innovative ways of growing food.”

According to Statista an online provider of market and consumer data, Morocco has 30 million hectares of agricultural land and agricultural activities are a key contributor to its economy. In 2020, the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector accounted for 12 percent of the country’s GDP. Morocco’s main agricultural products include wheat, barley, sugar beets, olives, potatoes, tomatoes and citrus fruit. Additionally, it is the world’s largest producer of phosphate, the raw material used to manufacture most commercial fertilizers. It holds about 75 percent of the world’s estimated phosphate reserve and is the largest supplier of fertilizer worldwide.

“With the worst of the Covid-19 crisis behind us, food security is still of great concern,” said Ambassador Wong. Although in the initial phase of exploration, he is committed to using his appointment to engage stakeholders in the sector with a view to opening dialogue and fostering partnerships to strengthen the Agri-sector and relations between The Bahamas and Morocco.

Ambassador Wong was appointed as Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco for The Bahamas in 2022.

He has served as president of both the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and the Bahamas Real Estate Association for two terms. He is the co-founder and co-owner of Darville-Wong Realty.