The Tribune

By FAY SIMMONS

TRIBUNE Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMIAN farmers are being urged to strengthen their organisations, records and emergency planning if they are to attract climate financing and private sector support to strengthen the industry against hurricanes and other climate shocks.

Gloria Kasang Bulus, founder and executive director of the Nigerian non-profit, Bridge That Gap Hope for Africa Initiative, told the Abaco Farmers Association that climate resilience must extend beyond farming techniques to include financial preparation, stronger networks and better market access.

Speaking to Bahamian farmers on Monday night, Ms Bulus said they and their associations need to demonstrate they are organised and capable of managing funding before approaching climate financiers, development partners and private investors.

“Climate funders do not fund ideas alone. They want to see evidence, results and trust,” she said. Ms Bulus encouraged the Association to strengthen its governance by ensuring it has the necessary registration, constitution, elected leadership, bank accounts and financial records, while also collecting data on farm losses, production and the results of resilience measures.

She said having that information will help farmers make a stronger case when seeking grants, financing or other forms of support, including assistance that does not necessarily come in the form of cash.

That could include machinery, seedlings, technology and other farming inputs, while private sector partnerships could provide additional avenues for financing as traditional donor funding becomes more constrained.

But Ms Bulus also stressed that resilience at the farm level requires farmers to reduce their exposure to any single source of income. She encouraged them to diversify across crops, livestock, seedlings, processing and other agricultural activities, while also developing multiple sales channels rather than relying on a single buyer or market.

“If one crop fails this season, what will you lose?” she asked, urging farmers to consider how diversification could reduce the financial impact of drought, excessive rainfall, hurricanes, pests or other disruptions.

For Abaco, where farmers face challenges including limited freshwater, thin soils and the threat of hurricanes, she highlighted measures such as rainwater harvesting, drip irrigation, mulching and composting to improve water retention and soil conditions.

Ms Bulus also recommended farmers maintain seed reserves, secure farm structures ahead of storms, keep records and inventories, and establish emergency plans covering what should be harvested, protected or moved when severe weather threatens.

Collective action could also help reduce some of the costs and risks facing individual farmers, Ms Bulus said. She suggested shared machinery and tools, collective purchasing of seeds, feed and fertiliser, farmer savings groups, seed and seedling exchanges, and collective marketing to hotels, resorts, shops and schools.

Such arrangements, Ms Bulus added, could help farmers overcome some of the high costs associated with equipment and other factors of production, while giving them greater bargaining power in purchasing and selling.

She also pointed to the potential for women to play a larger role in the farming community, adding that they already contribute significantly to growing, processing and selling food, but often have less access to land, credit, training and other resources.

Ms Bulus said women should be viewed not only as workers but as entrepreneurs and decision-makers who can lead businesses in areas including seed production, processing, backyard farming and other climate-smart enterprises.

The broader push comes as The Bahamas seeks to increase domestic agricultural production, and reduce its heavy reliance on imported food, while farmers remain exposed to the growing costs of production and the risks posed by extreme weather.

For Abaco, Ms Bulus said building resilience should begin with practical measures such as an early warning system, registering farmers and mapping agricultural risks, developing farm emergency plans, establishing demonstration plots and strengthening the association's financial and organisational capacity.

She also urged farmers to build relationships with hotels, schools, retailers, government agencies, development partners and potential investors so that increased production can be matched with reliable markets.

Her message was that climate resilience should not be treated solely as disaster preparedness, but as part of building a stronger and more commercially sustainable agricultural sector. “What you do before the storm helps decide how fast you recover after the storm,” said Ms Bulus.