A year ago, The UWI Cave Hill Campus broke ground for a bold venture: Dukes Agri-Industrial Park, a hub for agricultural innovation and entrepreneurship.
Today, the project is taking shape, with high-yield resources nestling on the fertile soil at Dukes Plantation, St. Thomas. Out of the 28 acres of land generously gifted by Charles and Vanessa Edghill, 14 are being transformed into state-of-the-art facilities for agroprocessing. The remainder will serve as a living laboratory for applied research.
Dr. Michele Singh, the visionary Director of the Centre for Agricultural Research and Innovation (CAGRI), formerly known as the Centre for Food Security and Entrepreneurship, has been overseeing the project. She believes it will revolutionise the regional agricultural sector, sparking new discoveries and business opportunities, enhancing technology adoption and attracting high-tech industry and investment.
The renowned agriculturalist and livestock scientist explained that the 12 buildings under construction will offer on-site leasing opportunities to local, regional, and international entrepreneurs who want to process agricultural products. Two of these buildings will be dedicated conference centres and can also house approximately 14 offices. Prospective tenants will be offered business facilitation services by the Sagicor Cave Hill School of Business and Management.
“Dukes Agri-Industrial Park boasts comprehensive infrastructure, including essential utilities like electricity, cabling, telephone, internet, water, wastewater treatment, and access roads. All buildings come with ready connections to utilities, while factory shells are designed for ‘Plug and Play’ business setup, equipped with utilities and restroom facilities. Tenants have the option to further develop office spaces, with parking allocations provided for each lot,” Dr. Singh stated.
When completed, the Dukes Agri-Industrial Park will join the ranks of businesses that align with the 2022-2027 entrepreneurial thrust of the Cave Hill campus. The theme of the five-year strategy is Creating Values from our Ideas.
At the groundbreaking ceremony, Principal Professor Clive Landis said the site will generate significant revenue for the campus and pointed to opportunities to further explore the nascent medicinal cannabis industry.
The Dukes Agri-Industrial Park is being undertaken in conjunction with a sister project, the Hope Agriculture Training Institute. Funding is being provided under a $34 million grant between the People’s Republic of China through the China-Aid project Centre for Food Security and Entrepreneurship in Barbados and the Government of Barbados.
“Dukes and Hope will have a close functional relationship to ensure a bi-directional flow of ideas and people from research to practice, and from practice to research. There will also be links with the Faculty of Agriculture in Trinidad, such that any Barbadian studying for a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture at [The UWI] St. Augustine may be offered the choice to do their final-year extension project at Dukes. CAGRI is also happy to work with stakeholders in farming and agriculture to develop short courses to address specific skills gaps in an increasingly knowledge-driven sector,” Landis stated.
He stressed that Dukes is committed to forging global partnerships with research parks abroad to collaborate on cutting-edge research that serves the region’s interest and keeps the region’s agricultural sector at the forefront of innovation.
Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Amor Mottley pledged Government’s full support to the project and emphasised the need to empower citizens with the essential knowledge to cope with the looming threat of climate change and to enhance their agricultural productivity and diversity. She recognised the unique potential of Barbados to become a leading agro-processing hub in the region, thanks to its skills and strategic location. She also expressed her gratitude to the Edghill family for their generous donation and praised The UWI for its dedication to research.
