Margaret Lothian is a teacher of 31 years who is now contemplating a career change, following her recent involvement in a community project on aquaponics farming. “I’ve been acting as vice-principal for the past two years. I have been in teaching for almost 31 years, and right now I would leave it to do aquaponics farming full- time,” said Lothian, who teaches at Aenon Town Primary in Clarendon.
She is one of several community members who have been participating in an aquaponics project funded by the Adaptation Programme and Financing Mechanism (AP&FM) Project of the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR). The AP&FM is administered by the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, with funding from the Climate Investment Funds through the Inter-American Development Bank.
The Aquaponics Farming Project is operational in five rural communities: Aenon Town, Ritchies, Alston, Johns Hall, and James Hill in the Upper Rio Minho Watershed Area of Clarendon. The five communities have a combined population of over 10, 333 persons and are operating their new aquaponics systems through community development committees. “Aquaponics is an innovative farming technique that combines aquaculture (fish farming) with hydroponics (soil-less crop production). It is a method that boosts crop production up to 10 times higher than traditionally cultivated plots of equivalent size.
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