For residents in the village of Les Coteaux, Tobago, agriculture is a key economic activity as it sustains their livelihoods. But in the last 15 years, farmers in the village have observed that temperatures are gradually getting warmer, which has affected their ability to farm. Rising temperatures associated with climate change jeopardize many aspects of agriculture, like the times at which certain crops are grown, the amount of water farmers use to water crops, the yields of farmers, and even the prevalence of crop diseases.
In a 2021 report of two climate vulnerability assessments, Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Planning and Development warned that “climate change is a clear and present danger to the country’s economic viability and the safety of its people.”
While Les Coteaux residents have often prided themselves in their ability to be self-reliant, recent decreases in crop yields have seen some villagers turning to imports to close the gaps where there are deficits in supplies.
Given inflation and rising food costs, this isn’t sustainable. Les Couteaux farmer Hamilton Crosby told Cari-Bois that late in the 2000s, he grew as much as 2000 pounds of tomatoes per season. But in the past several years alone, that number has dipped to an average of 1,500 pounds of tomatoes.
Read more at caribois.org