Helping Hand for Abaco Farmers and Fishermen

MARSH HARBOUR, BAHAMAS – A poultry farm in Abaco is operating at just one-fifth of the capacity it was able to prior to hurricane Dorian, as its recovery faces obstacles like the COVID-19 pandemic and inflation.

Jared Higgs tells us more.

In 2019 Hurricane Dorian obliterated the farm, taking out all of its poultry barns, livestock, and citrus trees. Forty percent of its avocado orchard was also wiped out.

Lance Pinder is the owner and manager of Abaco Big Bird.

The days that followed the storm were brutal, but with the processing plant still intact, the family business could still produce ice to keep its frozen products fresh. After a few months of thinking, Pinder says his family decided to stay in the poultry business.

The COVID-19 pandemic, and more recent challenges with inflation, have made the farm’s recovery even slower. Pinder says they are operating at just one-fifth of the capacity that they did before Hurricane Dorian.

He says a silver lining is non-profits such as World Central Kitchen, which have provided 40 grants in The Bahamas totaling $600,000. Abaco Big Bird was able to rebuild its third barn thanks to that funding.

Pinder says besides freeing up funds to be used for other things, the grant help, and World Central Kitchen’s general commitment to helping in the storm’s aftermath, were massive.

Tanique Brutus, who grew up in a fishing family, leads C&T Fishing in Treasure Cay, Abaco.

Like Abaco Big Bird, they experienced significant losses during Hurricane Dorian. However, they were also assisted by World Central Kitchen’s food producer network grant funding.

Nine food producers are being assisted in what is World Central Kitchen’s fourth round of funding. And while global challenges, that are often unforeseen, have had a major influence on the way of life of people in Abaco and Grand Bahama, its agricultural producers are staying resilient.