USAID Breaks Ground For St Thomas Greenhouse

CHARGé D'AFFAIRES for the United States Embassy, Elizabeth Martinez, and Denise A. Herbol, Mission Director for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), recently broke ground for the construction of a 3,000 square foot greenhouse in Rowlandsfield, St Thomas.

The greenhouse is being constructed through USAID's Development Grants Program funding, for a micro-enterprise development project being implemented by the Local Initiative Facility for the Environment (LIFE) in five parishes.

Under this partnership, the benefiting organization is the Natural & Creative Enterprise Community, an all-female group that specializes in natural juices and dried spices. The construction of the greenhouse facility will be completed later this year. On completion of the structure, approximately 14 persons (consisting of members of Rowlandsfield and community farmers) will benefit from training in greenhouse farming, provided by a local expert, Jervis Rowe.

In addition, water for production will be provided through a solar-powered water supply system which primarily supplies water for the group's new agro-processing facility. Martinez and Herbol also opened the water system with a symbolic ribbon cutting. A consistent water supply is vital to the sustainable operation of the processing facility, and the group members were ecstatic that this component of the project was complete. The Natural & Creative Enterprise Community Group is embarking on expanding the production of dried spices and fruit juices. The members plan to creatively develop unique new products focusing on the produce available in the community of Rowlandsfield.

LIFE, which works with community groups at the grass-roots level, has been working with the community group since 2009 and is pleased the members are now prepared, with skills and equipment, to operate a successful micro-enterprise. LIFE is expected to optimize the use of renewable energy in production centers developed through its work with community groups. At least two other facilities will be equipped with renewable energy systems through the application of USAID funding, and a total of four greenhouses are being constructed.