Agricultural Diversification in St. Kitts - Opportunities and Challenges

Up until fairly recently the economy of St. Kills was dominated by sugar production. Sugarcane has been cultivated on SL Kills for over 300 years on the best agricultural lands while in the past non-sugar agriculture only occupied marginal lands. However within recent years the sugar industry has accumulated significant annual deficits and alternatives for economic development are being examined. Agricultural diversification away from sugar is one option that is currently being considered. St. Kitts is a significant net importer of food and increasing non-sugar agriculture production appears to be an option for examination. There also appears to be opportunities for enhancing linkages with the growing tourism market. Markets for agricultural produce also appear to exist in the nearby islands. However diversification of the agricultural sector is faced with a number of challenges including trade liberalization, limited water access, weak farm management practices, insecure land tenure and competition from other economic activities for the limited available land. The opportunities and challenges for agricultural diversification in St. Kills are examined in this paper.