Saint Kitts and Nevis
Participation in the subproject- Addressing the water-energy nexus in agriculture
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The inefficiency in the use of water particularly affects agricultural production, which is in strong competition for water resources. Pressure on available natural resources is likely to increase in the near future due to population growth and climate change. Sea level rise is likely to decrease freshwater quality and the frequency and severity of droughts are expected to intensify.
Caribbean countries are characterized by small areas of land with limited catchment basins, which creates limitations in the replenishment of freshwater resources. There is a lack of availability of surface water resources throughout the year and they depend on limited amounts of groundwater resources, which require more energy to extract.
The Resilient Caribbean Initiative contributes to improving water resource efficiency to increase agricultural productivity in Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) using an integrated Water-Energy-Food nexus approach, in Saint Kitts and Nevis and in three other Caribbean countries. It promotes technological innovations, such as solar-powered (micro) irrigation systems to improve water efficiency and management (e.g. hydroponics and rainwater harvesting), and access to clean and climate-smart energy (solar and wind), to increase the agricultural productivity of water.
Participation in the sub-project -Resilient aquaculture for food security and well-being in the Caribbean
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Food import dependency remains an economic and food security problem for the Caribbean region, which imports 60 to 80 percent of its food. The countries of the region have some of the highest obesity rates in the world and around a third of their population lives in poverty. There is room and clear economic and social benefit for the development of a locally produced, accessible and nutritious food source, and aquaculture is capable of providing a clear and fruitful part of the solution.
Aquaculture offers a flexible method of using available aquatic and terrestrial resources to compensate for deficiencies in capturing fish and unreliable or unsustainable imports. Based on the Caribbean's available aquatic resources, limited arable land, and worsening water scarcity problems, aquaculture represents a resilient approach to promoting food security and rural employment now and in the future.
Saint Kitts and Nevis and three other Caribbean countries are actively seeking to develop their aquaculture industries to improve the resilience of their fisheries and aquaculture sector. The Resilient Caribbean Initiative supports this effort.