The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune News Editor

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

UNIVERSITY of The Bahamas researchers said the country must improve soil health to achieve food security and strengthen its agricultural sector.

Experts who collected and analysed soil samples from backyard farms on Andros, Eleuthera, Exuma, Grand Bahama, Ragged Island, New Providence and the Berry Islands found that none were optimal according to selected indicators.

Their findings are featured in a research paper published in a special edition of the International Journal of Bahamian Studies focusing on natural science research.

In another study, researchers found that soil salinity on Grand Bahama is decreasing post-Hurricane Dorian –– good news for residents there given that affected wellfields “provide drinking water supplies and irrigation for most of the population on the island.”

 Another study found that the lack of weather buoys and other observational instruments have created a “major blind spot” that weakens the country’s ability to “predict, prepare for and respond to future extreme weather events.” The study’s author, Brandon Bethel, suggested the government use money from a $200m Inter-American Development Bank loan to address the problem.

 The release of the report about the country’s soil health comes after Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis touted what he called “unprecedented” investments his administration is making in food production and food security. He made the comment earlier this month at the opening of Caribbean Week of Agriculture.

In their paper, “Comparative Analysis of Soil Health in Backyard Farms on Multiple Islands of The Bahamas,” UB researchers Devin Chambers, Carlton Watson, Okell Dames, and Williamson Gustave said the success of the government’s backyard farming initiative –– one programme it is pushing to address food security issues –– depends on the presence of healthy soil.

 Their research analysed 38 soil samples according to their nutrient availability, pH, salinity, water-holding capacity and organic carbon.

 “Our results revealed that none of the 38 soil samples analysed fell within the optimal range for all of the selected indicators,” they wrote. “Our results suggested that soil treated with synthetic fertiliser did not exhibit higher nutrient availability compared to naturally fertilised or unfertilised samples.”

 “The samples tested in this study were mostly within the optimal range for nitrogen but showed excess phosphorus and very low potassium availability. The pH of the samples was above the optimal range, which is typical for limestone soil found in The Bahamas, and high pH negatively correlated with nitrate nitrogen.

 “Additionally, organic carbon was above the optimal range in samples, and high organic carbon correlated with lower pH and higher water holding capacity. These correlations suggest that increasing organic carbon may be instrumental in optimising Bahamian soil health.”