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UVI and Agriculture outline progress on territorial agricultural plan, pilot grants and school programs
Summary
The Local Food & Farm Council and the Department of Agriculture told senators they have advanced business support (an Ag Business Center and a $500k public‑private investment pilot that funded 12 projects) and school programs, but council leaders said key items remain unfunded — notably a Local Food & Farm Coordinator and the proposed local food & farm fund — and asked the legislature to approve FY2026 allocations to sustain progress.
University of the Virgin Islands President Sophia George and Commissioner Louis Peterson reported Nov. 10 that implementation of the Virgin Islands Agricultural Plan is underway but constrained by staffing and recurring funding gaps. The plan lays out eight mandates — regulatory modernization, business models and PIF grants, a local food coordinator, a food & farm fund, council operations, a local food label, education, and data benchmarking — that are now at different stages of execution.
UVI said the Ag Business Center (managed by UVI and the Small Business Development Center) now operates territory‑wide, has supported 23 active farm/fish businesses and delivered more than 200 workshop participants in FY2025. The council also described a Public‑Private Investment Fund pilot: $500,567 awarded in FY2024 to 12 small producers for irrigation, solar pumps, tractors, fencing and other infrastructure; follow‑up site visits reported an 80% increase in production capacity among awardees.
Council leaders emphasized urgent unmet needs: the Local Food & Farm Coordinator (identified candidate Summer Sibley Brown) remains unfunded and cannot be hired until legislative appropriations are released; the council also continues planning for a Local Food & Farm Fund (a 501(c)(3) foundation) to capture private donations and match federal grants. The council’s FY2026 request asks the Legislature to restore PIF funding and secure the coordinator position so the plan’s mandates can move from planning to sustained implementation.
Education and workforce initiatives were highlighted as concrete gains. The Department of Education has expanded agricultural curriculum and deployed a mobile hydroponic classroom at a Saint Croix school; student participation in Future Farmers of America jumped from 25 to more than 150 territory‑wide. UVI’s Eastern Caribbean Center has conducted farmer and fisher surveys to establish baseline data for policy and funding decisions.
Local producers who received PIF awards described immediate impacts: Trevor Warner (Saint Croix) said a ~$57,000 award helped him acquire a tractor, irrigation and fencing and expand vegetable production and honey output; beekeeping and small‑farm operators thanked the department for in‑kind and grant support. The committee asked for more detail on grant outcomes, program funding schedules and next steps to recruit and retain young producers.
