GEF SGP Barbados have given CARIBPIX an to attend the SGP project site visits on Friday April 22, 2022. These site visits will give us a first-hand look at some of Barbados’ transformative projects executed in the various communities across the island.
Here CARIBPIX through its Photographer David Crichlow is now giving you a pictorial coverage of the various tours.
EXTRACT FROM CBC NEWS HERE ………
Baird’s Village Aquaponic Association
Project No.: BAR/SGP/OP6/Y4/CORE/CC/18/01
Grantee: Baird’s Village Aquaponic Association
Location: #24 Baird’s Village, St George
SGP Contribution: 50,000 USD
Cash Co-Financing: 13,500 USD
In-Kind Co-financing: 25,500 USD
Project Duration: November 2018 – March 2021
Focal Area(s): Climate Change Adaptation
Project Description
This project is intended to build a centralized training and research
facility capable of providing hands on experience through a Solar
powered, Climate Smart, Innovative, Agro-ecological food production
facility based on aquaponics that can facilitate up to 10 students per
week. In addition to research and training it will also document the
financial and biological aspects of the production facility in detail. This
information will then be disseminated to the society at large.
Therefore, schools’ benefit since they get the opportunity to train and
expose students to aquaponics without incurring the cost and
resources required to establish and maintain an aquaponic system on
the school premises. In addition, a centralized training facility of this
scale allows for testing proof of concept at a commercial scale to
ensure that a strong business case is established for solar powered,
climate smart, agro-ecological, aquaponics that could be endorsed by
financing stakeholders.
Background
Located in the South-Central hills of Barbados in the Caribbean is a
small low-income village called Baird’s Village, with no more than 30
houses and 150 people who are mostly small farmers. In that village
lives a young visionary by the name of Damian Hinkson, who has been
experimenting with aquaponic prototypes for over two decades. He is
the founder of the community based organization, Baird’s Village
Aquaponics Association (BVAA). SGP has support the BVAA in the past
through the facilitation of the establishment of its first pilot project
site and the transition of the current facility to renewable energy,
thus reducing the cost of production. However, the scale of
production and the production system need to be improved to provide economies of
scale, facilitate training, boost agro-ecology and become fully climate
smart. The current SGP supported project facilitates the scaling up and
the development of a business case for a community based solar climate
smart agro-ecological aquaponics farm and research station. It addresses
the following SDGs: #7 Affordable and clean energy, #12 Responsible
consumption and production, #13 Climate action and #15 Life on Land. At
the national level the project aligns to the promotion and
implementation of best practices and GAPs in ecosystem management
and Land utilization.
Project Achievements/Progress to date
Created a solar powered climate-smart agro-ecological model
farm and research facility.
Built the capacity of 217 young people through hands on training
and the facilitation educational tours at the model aquaponic
farm and research facility.
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De Blue & Green Gully – Phase 1
Project No.: BAR/SGP/OP7/Y1/CORE/IWBE/21/03
Grantee: Youth Equipped to Achieve
Location: Easy Hall, St John
SGP Contribution: 24,984 USD
Cash Co-Financing: 600 USD
In-Kind Co-financing: 118,300 USD
Project Duration: December 2021 – January 2024
Focal Area(s): Climate Change Adaptation
Project Description
There is a historical environmental problem of land degradation by use of
pesticides and burning of leaves and bush. This is perpetuated by people
living in the rural areas, particularly elderly people in tenantries, who are
tasked with maintaining expanses of land that often, include gullies. There
is an opportunity to pilot the development of a “blue and green gully”
where sargassum seaweed fertilizer can be used to:
To provide an organic, moisturizing/moisture retaining
alternative/s for hand sanitizer, and other organic-based products
leading to changes in how people value and interact with their
environment.
To mitigate erosion while increasing awareness of the opportunities
offered by the annual sargassum seaweed influx on our beaches, as
well as by supplying more aloe vera and other plant-based
products.
To increase the number of people attaining skills/experience
and/or vocational certification in the areas related to producing
eco-friendly/organic products.
To successfully administer, implement, measure, monitoring and
evaluate the project.
To develop a moisturizing hand sanitizer using aloe vera, sargassum
seaweed extract and/or other eco-friendly products by December
2022.
Background
Climate change has caused an annual problem of sargassum
seaweed proliferating our world-renown white sand beaches and
challenging the livelihood of fisherfolk, tourism workers and other.
This resource can be used in a more sustainable way such as fertilizer.
The extraction of alginates from the seaweed can also be used as
moisturizer for hand sanitizer and other products in a similar manner to
aloe vera gel. The seaweed can also be used as a fertilizer, which has
proven to result in increased plant growth and yield.
In addition, the general population is becoming more aware of the
hazards of non-organic chemicals which are present in foods,
household cleaners, personal care products and so on, there have been
more eco-friendly, or green products emerging. With the onset of the
COVID-19 pandemic, the use of alcohol to meet the requirement to
sanitize hands has significantly increased the dryness of hands,
particularly for children and the elderly. This can be improved and
mitigated by the use of local aloe vera plant which is known for
moisturizing as well as antimicrobial and antibacterial properties. Given
barriers to importation, the need for more aloe vera plants and gel as a
base material for organic products has grown. There is an opportunity
to increase organic crop production of aloe vera and the organic,
environmentally friendly sargassum seaweed fertilizer can be used to
increase the yield of the aloe vera and other plants.
Project Achievements/Progress to date
Engage expert to extract seaweed alginates and aloe vera gel
Address the importance of going green
Use/Produce eco-friendly fertilizer from plants like seaweed
and aloe vera
Plant and fertilize plants on gully slopes (aloe etc.)
Measurement, Monitoring and Evaluation
CARIBPIX giving you a look inside of the gully…..enjoy.
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- Substance Abuse Foundation – Renewable Energy Project
Project No: BAR/SGP/OP6/Y3/CORE/CC/18/01
Grantee: The Substance Abuse Foundation (SAF)
Location: Verdun House, Pool, St. John, BARBADOS
SGP Contribution: 50,000 USD
Cash Co-Financing: 238,903 USD
In-Kind Co-financing: 20,000 USD
Project Duration: June 2018 – July 2019
Focal Area: Climate Change Mitigation
Project Description
The over-arching goal of this initiative was to transition to renewable
energy, mitigate the negative impact on climate change and the
environment through the development of a solar farm at the Substance
Abuse Foundation’s main campus. This initiative leverages strategic
assets (buildings and land) to tangibly support environmental goals,
transform a cost-intensive source of energy into a revenue-producing
social enterprise and provide therapeutic work arrangements for clients.
The key objectives of this project were to:
Transition from traditional avenues of electricity usage to
renewable by installing 502 solar panels
Create an income stream to support SAF’s educational and
rehabilitation programs and services
Provide annual educational and employment training as part of
the rehabilitation and societal re-entry.
Background
The effective cost of electricity in Barbados is around $ 0.583 /kWh as of - This rate varies slightly from residential to commercial power
users. Roughly 60 percent of the bill is simply a fuel charge. This
component, the Fuel Clause Adjustment (FCA), varies from month to
month but has been increasing at a normalized rate of 3.7 percent per
year over the past decade. Any attempts to reduce the fuel imports
through renewable energy substitution would save foreign exchange
and reduce the cost of energy to the final consumer.
