How long could our countries feed themselves if they were cut off from the rest of the world and could only depend on the resources currently within their domain? It is a question more countries are grappling with when addressing matters related to food security and sustainable agriculture. In this podcast episode, we circle back to Bevon Chadel Charles and Akata Farms in Grenada to find out, among other things: how the farm has been doing since our first conversation in 2021; what Bevon thinks about the ‘new’ focus on AgTech and the challenges of that space that people don’t talk about; and why passion doesn’t sell.
This episode is also available on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music!!
The ability of countries to feed their population is often among the top priorities of many governments, especially when food import bills are high such as in the Caribbean region. In many countries, the challenge is not arable land being unavailable or there is an inadequate water supply to support more widespread farming – to better feed the country – but rather individuals are no longer inclined to pursue agriculture. Further, with education being more accessible than it had been decades or generations ago, there has been a decided shift from manual labour and subsistence living in favour of more seemingly lucrative endeavours.
However, the contracting agriculture sector in Caribbean countries has meant that they have become increasingly dependent on other countries producing enough food that can be purchased and imported, and consequently, are increasingly vulnerable to a range of external factors, including the whims and fancies of suppliers. Further, as occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, borders were closed, and community and country-wide lockdowns were instituted, resulting in supply chains across virtually all industries globally being adversely affected, and food shortages emerging in some countries.
In 2021, we embarked on a series on technology-based social enterprises – that is, tech businesses that have social impact among their core objectives. And one of the industries we focused on was farming, and we featured Akata Farms in Grenada, which then comprising 300 acres of competitive climate-smart and resilient sustainable farms to address food security and youth engagement in agriculture and technology.
Today, Agriculture Technology, or AgTech, has been gaining a lot of attention with lots of entrepreneurs trying to figure out how to leverage the opportunities – and money(!) that are available. So we thought it timely to revisit Akata Farms nearly four years later to get an update on the venture and to see what we could learn from its experience in AgTech.
Introducing our guest
Bevon Chadel Charles is a visionary leader, passionate about agriculture, community development, technology, youth, women empowerment, and gender equality. She is the founder of Akata Farms in Grenada, a sustainable farm that leverages technology and innovation to transform agriculture and food systems in her community and beyond.Her innovative approach to agriculture has earned her several awards, and opportunities to share her story, passion and vision for Caribbean Sustainability on the Global stage.
Bevon is a passionate advocate for community development and founded the Academy of People’s Empowerment, an NGO focused on community empowerment and opportunity creation. She is a Young Professionals For Agriculture Research and Development Country Representative, which is a global network of young agriculture enthusiasts, a USAID Youth Council Ambassador, which focuses on sustainable agriculture, technology, youth, climate change, justice and economic empowerment, and a One Young World Ambassador, where her efforts have been recognised as being featured in the 2023 Impact Highlights for the Caribbean region, all of which she represents Grenada and the Caribbean.
Bevon is also a climate enthusiast and believes that agriculture has a critical role to play in mitigating climate change. She is actively involved in initiatives that promote sustainable agriculture practices, and her work has earned a place on the coveted Max Thabiso Edkins (MTE) Climate Ambassador Program, becoming a Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative, a Westerwelle Foundation and a Yemanja Collaborative Fellows. Further, her work on gender equality has been recognised. She was the Winner of 2021 Commonwealth Youth Awards for Excellence in Development Work and subsequently served on the Pan-Commonwealth Adjudication Panel. Most recently, she became one of 17 selected by the Caribbean Development Bank Future Leaders Network to pioneer youth economic development and engagement across the Caribbean.
Insights into our conversation
Agriculture is a tough sector in the Caribbean. Due to the small size of many of the countries and the difficult geographic terrain, the sector often comprises small farms with farmers and their families only able to eke out a subsistence living, which can also create its own cycle of poverty.
Bevon grew up in a farming family, and so saw first-hand how difficult the work could be – especially the effort required and the yield and return that could be realised. However, as a highly educated woman, who essentially could write her ticket to a very lucrative career, she sought to return to her roots in agriculture.
Having interviewed Bevon before in 2021, it was important to learn how Akata Farms had evolved as a business and as a social enterprise. What Bevon has not lost over the years is her passion for agriculture, community, and the intersection between the two for their mutual benefit. In addition to Akata Farms, she is spearheading an agrotourism initiative in Grenada along with the development of digital platforms to address praedial larceny and food provenance.
Below are key questions posed to Bevon that shaped our conversation.
- Please start us off by giving us a refresher on what Akata Farms is and what it is trying to achieve.
- What has been happening with Akata Farms since we last spoke in 2021?
- Do you still think of Akata Farms as a social enterprise? What is the social good or social impact Akata Farms is pursuing?
- How has the tech you have integrated into Akata Farms evolved?
- Agriculture and AgTech have become popular in the region, especially funding may be a bit more readily available the before. What are your thoughts on this?
- What are some challenges that people eager to leverage opportunities in AgTech in the Caribbean may not fully appreciate about the industry?
- Has your business model evolved over the years?
- What have been important lessons you have learned since we last spoke?
- Where would you like to see Akata Farms in the next 3 to 5 years?
We would love to hear your thoughts!
Do leave us a comment either here beneath this article, or on our Facebook or LinkedIn pages, or via Twitter, @ICTPulse.
Also, if you or a member of your network is interested in joining us for an episode, do get in touch.
Let’s make it happen!
Select links
Below are links to some of the organisations and resources that either were mentioned during the episode, or otherwise, might be useful:
- Bevon Chadel Charles
- Akata Farms
- ICT Pulse Podcast episode, ICTP 154: LEVERAGE technology to achieve zero hunger, with Bevon Chadel Charles, of Akata Farms
Image credits: B Chadel Charles; Akata Farms; Jcomp (Freepik); Gabriel Jimenez (Unsplash)
Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell
Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez
