Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis and Minister of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Family Island Affairs Clay Sweeting joined a delegation of stakeholders and the owners of Eeden Farms in Hamilton, Ohio, to tour the farm owned by 80 Acres Farms.
This commercial indoor hydroponic farm serves as a model for the Eeden Acres Farm coming to Nassau’s Gladstone Road. This farm under the banner “Eeden Acres” — a partnership between Eeden Farms and 80 Acres — will be boasting the best AgTech from all around the globe under one roof. The farm will grow produce indoors without GMOs or pesticides, providing a healthy diet to Bahamians and visitors.
Eeden Farms Co-Founder Carlos Palacious said: “80 Acres, which already supplies over 300 Kroger Grocery Stores successfully, has produced outstanding results with similar methods currently used by Eeden Farms, so this trip was designed to show leaders of the Bahamian agricultural sector what is possible as Eeden Farms evolves into Eeden Acres.” Eeden Farms Founder Lincoln Deal said he is “excited about what the possibility of expanding Eeden Farms can mean for our nation”.
Eeden Farms plans to establish an 80,000 square-foot, world-class, robotics-enabled and hurricane resilient hydroponic farm by the end of 2023. In collaboration with BAMSI, the University of the Bahamas, BTVI and BAIC, Eeden Farms will continue its commitment to education and training with a comprehensive Eeden Acres Transfer of Knowledge Program in coordination with top researchers.
With a projected investment value of $60 million, this privately funded expansion is estimated to deliver up to two million pounds of clean and healthy leafy greens and herbs to Bahamian communities.
Great expectations
As a result of producing crops locally, Eeden Acres founders believe the challenges associated with shipping, logistics, wastage, and short shelf life can be reduced, having less impact on the environment and significantly reducing The Bahamas’ carbon footprint. They also expect it will remove the uncertainty around expected harvests and yields, therefore stabilizing crop pricing and mitigating crop shortages.
Eeden Acres also creates new economies for small businesses, such as by pursuing a program to purchase coconut husk shells from coconut farmers. Davis said: “The Bahamas is seeking to revolutionize the agricultural sector where our people will not only want to farm but see it as a means to keep our economy thriving.”
In accordance with the Americas Business Dialogue, Eeden Acres will develop digital skills and generate employment opportunities through training, tackling growing trends of urbanization and rural impoverishment, and strengthening human capital and gender diversification. Its new farm will employ up to 30 highly paid Bahamians.
Co-Founder Gil Cassar explained that Eeden Acres is also determined to give as many Bahamians as possible the opportunity to invest. “We want to be a company that is built for the people by the people,” Cassar said. “Food security is a driving factor for us, but so is a financial opportunity for as many Bahamians as possible. We intend to offer investment opportunities to the public as soon as possible.”
For more information:
Eeden Farms
www.eedenfarms.com