SOUTH ANDROS, The Bahamas – South Andros Handicraft and Manufacturing Association (SAHMA) President and Project Co-ordinator Mrs. Emily Rahming speaks during the recent Official Launch for the South Andros Coastal Restoration, Land Degradation and Coconut Project, in Long Bay Cays, South Andros. (BIS Photo / Eric Rose)
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SOUTH ANDROS, The Bahamas – President of the South Andros
Handicraft and Manufacturing Association (SAHMA) said recently that the launch
of the South Andros Coastal Restoration and Coconut Project was “quite an
expression of confidence in the management and operation of SAHMA.
“We sought to empower members of the community through craft
and culture and this project will allow us to take the empowerment further,”
SAHMA President and Project Coordinator Mrs. Emily Rahming said after the
official ceremony at the South Andros Craft Centre, in Motion Town, Long Bay
Cays, South Andros.
The initiative is a Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small
Grants Programme United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) funded project for
the community.
Mrs. Rahming said that SAHMA, being the lead organization,
will ensure that the community is made aware that the project is for their
benefit and they are expected to take ownership of it.
“I look forward to more cottage industries being created,”
she said. “This would be made easy by
the mechanization of the agro-processing of coconut.”
Also partnering in the initiative are The Bahamas National
Trust, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the
Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation, Ministry of Education and
Technology South Andros High School, Ministry of Environment and Housing
Forestry Department, South Andros Chamber of Commerce, South Andros Farmers
Association, South Andros District Council of Local Government and Natures Hope
for South Andros.
According to GEF, in officially released information, the
planning grant seeks to identify the most appropriate type of coconut species –
disease resilience and fastest growth rate – suitable for the Bahamas, as well
as the identification of species which ensure that the costal erosion does not
continue after replanting of the Coconut Palm trees.
The process will identify appropriate manufacturing and
management strategies to ensure sustainability after project implementation
phase, GEF added. Also, the integration
of a component of restoration/rehabilitation of the eroded coastal areas
impacted, giving a more focused land degradation component to address the
matter of erosion and how it has affected the coconut grove is included.
Further, the project seeks to address this in the areas
being looked at for restoration and replanting of coconut trees.
Mrs. Rahming said that quite a large proportion of the grant
funds would go towards the purchase of the equipment for the processing of
coconut.
“Members of the community will be able to bring their
coconuts to the SAHMA depot to be de-husked, grated or have the milk extracted
for a reasonable nominal fee,” she said.
“They will then go home or to their place of business and use their
processed coconut in what ever way they choose.”
Mrs. Rahming said some of the products they would produce
include coconut tarts, coconut milk, coconut oil and coconut craft items and
souvenirs from the bark and shell of the coconut.
As a result of this grant, she added, South Andros should be
able to export coconut products to the other islands and become more
economically empowered. The grant allows
for the restoration of 300 x 85 feet of coastline and removal of the invasive
plant species like the Australian Pine (Casuarina) and the Scaevola.
“Subsequent workshops will also teach participants in the
production of coal and furniture,” Mrs. Rahming said. “These benefits together with the replanting
of coconut trees will ensure sustainable livelihoods for our people.”