AgriFORCE signs MoU with the Government of Barbados

AgriFORCE Growing Systems has signed an MOU with the government of the Caribbean island, Barbados, that will have the company providing a market evaluation and potentially developing its proprietary facilities to strengthen the island’s food supply.

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) faces chronic food shortages, with food imports making up 20% of its imported merchandise – a percentage double that of the European Union. The tropical climate has traditionally presented challenges to local agricultural efforts, making food security a major concern, and with over half the CARICOM population currently facing moderate to severe food shortage.

This underscores the urgency of agtech company AgriFORCE’s mission to bring controlled environment agriculture (CEA) to Barbados and the wider Caribbean region. The company hopes to improve food security in Barbados through the introduction of CEA, which harnesses tools such as micropropagation, fertigation, and artificial intelligence to grow produce within monitored settings, meaning it can harvest more produce using less resources. AgriFORCE has a robust IP portfolio and proprietary facilities that it hopes this MOU will leverage for long-term solutions in Caribbean agriculture.

AgriFORCE will be working with Delphy, a scheduled acquisition of a premier agricultural consultancy, to conduct a feasibility and technical study by the summer of 2023 that will investigate CEA capabilities for fruit and vegetable growth in the region. After the study, it is expected that AgriFORCE will enter into a definitive agreement to establish its proprietary facilities for the growth of agricultural produce in the region.

This agreement is in addition to an earlier announced collaboration with Caribbean company Humboldt Bliss to supply its proprietary design as well as its growth facility, the AgriFORCE 'Grow House'. These combined announcements signal AgriFORCE’s international capabilities for providing modern agricultural solutions based on its IP specialty and sophisticated CEA facilities.

AgriFORCE believes it is well-equipped to bring CEA to Barbados and the wider Caribbean. The CEA solutions it will provide to Barbados are powered by its four pillars of facility and lighting design, automation and artificial intelligence, nutrients, micropropagation, and genetics. These pillars are built on firm IP foundations and a sophisticated strategy that has invested in research and development (R&D) and cutting-edge agtech knowledge.

“We look forward to commencing this important feasibility and technical study with the Government of Barbados for CEA food production facilities,” says AgriFORCE CEO Ingo Mueller. “This collaboration is another significant step in what we hope to be a meaningful and long-term opportunity in Barbados. We look forward to working closely with the Government of Barbados and its agencies to address the challenges of nutrition, wellness, and food security in the region.”