A country story / VC
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Food crops, rural livelihoods and the next harvest
Bananas, arrowroot and a broad range of food crops have shaped rural livelihoods in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Farmers have adapted to changing export markets while rebuilding after volcanic and hurricane damage.
Preparation stage · available acreage not established
01How farming has changed
From banana dependence to a broader harvest
For decades, bananas were central to the rural economy. The country’s 2008 plant genetic resources report describes their decline as preferential European trading arrangements changed. It also records a growing role for plantains and root crops such as dasheen, yam, cassava and sweet potato. Farmers were already adapting their crop choices and markets.[1]
Arrowroot adds another strand to that history: a traditional crop processed into starch for export. The same national report documents changes in its cultivated area and output, alongside the many food crops maintained by growers. Local planting material and agricultural knowledge are part of this inheritance.[1]
02Rebuilding while continuing to farm
Recovery needs a route to market
La Soufrière’s April 2021 eruption damaged agricultural livelihoods, prompting government and FAO support for crops and livestock. Hurricane Beryl brought further losses in 2024, including damage to fishing capacity and food production. These events explain why preparedness and recovery belong within agricultural planning, alongside the next planting season.[2][3]
In March 2025, the agriculture ministry and FAO launched work on production and marketing partnerships. Farmers identified climate risks, input costs and access to markets as concerns. The project includes farm business management and production costing: evidence that a stronger food economy is already a shared local undertaking.[4]
03Where CaribVista could help
Follow food all the way to the buyer
CaribVista proposes a locally designed pilot linking willing growers with identified buyers and a clear community food-access purpose. Crop choices would follow soil and water assessments, farmer experience and demand. Existing farms and land rights would guide site selection, with attention to slope protection and the different circumstances of individual islands.
The proposed work would track planting material, labour, usable harvests, storage losses and delivery costs through real seasons. Farmers and extension officers would help interpret satellite observations. This would give partners a practical basis for deciding what to repeat, while keeping disaster preparation and household benefit within the same plan.
04 / Read the landscape
Put the story beside the map.
With that history in mind, explore Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in natural colour, through its vegetation signal and by mapped land cover. These views help frame local questions; the land records and field assessment establish what a specific site can offer.
From the satellite record
See the land.
Read the signal.
Explore the same landscape in natural colour and through its vegetation signal.
Sentinel-2 · January–September 2026
RGB · Natural colourSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesCloud-screened median compositesStronger vegetation signals can include forests, pasture and crops. The dark background shows masked water, areas outside the study boundary or missing data.
How to read these images and inspect the sources
Natural colour combines the red, green and blue bands (B4, B3, B2). NDVI compares near-infrared and red reflectance: (B8 − B4) / (B8 + B4). Both views use the same dated scene list and extent, with cloud and shadow screening. Each pixel summarises observations across the period; this is not a single photograph.
The colour scale is fixed across countries; values beyond its endpoints use the endpoint colours. The separate NDVI statistic is the spatial mean of the temporal-median index on the documented 1 km screening grid. Image pixels use the display grid stated above.
These views help guide a closer inspection. They do not identify available rental land, confirm ownership or measure agricultural suitability.
- A temporal median of observations in January–September 2026, not a single-date photograph.
- RGB and NDVI use identical bounds, display grid and valid-pixel masks. Higher NDVI indicates greater spectral greenness, not crop identity, yield, land vacancy or suitability.
- Transparent pixels represent the selected boundary/land mask or missing valid observations, not proof of absent vegetation.
- The overview grid is for display. The published numerical screening uses a separate 1 km grid; do not extract hectares or availability from these coloured pixels.
- Cloud and shadow masking can leave residual haze or remove valid surfaces. Native 10 m source bands do not make the overview a 10 m product.
- Uses pinned geoBoundaries replacement geometry that assigns Carriacou and Petite Martinique to Grenada. This is not legal territorial certification.
- Component islands shown are those represented in the documented boundary; small features can be difficult to distinguish at overview scale.
Download the imagery reproduction package ↓
Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2026), processed for CaribVista.
The 2021 land-cover baseline
What covers the landscape?
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines38,737.3 mapped hectaresAll classified pixels in the selected boundary, including water
Explore a class in the chart or legend.
Grassland
2,269.4 haThis class includes managed pasture and natural grassland. It does not identify vacant, idle, leasable or cultivable land.
View the values and boundary notes
| Land-cover class | Hectares | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Tree cover | 33,429.9 | 86.3% |
| Shrubland | 67.7 | 0.2% |
| Grassland | 2,269.4 | 5.9% |
| Cropland | 36.5 | <0.1% |
| Built-up | 2,068.2 | 5.3% |
| Bare / sparse vegetation | 358.5 | 0.9% |
| Snow and ice | 0 | 0.0% |
| Permanent water | 441.4 | 1.1% |
| Herbaceous wetland | 34.8 | <0.1% |
| Mangroves | 30.9 | <0.1% |
| Moss and lichen | 0 | 0.0% |
| Total mapped area | 38,737.3 | 100% |
Boundary source: geoBoundaries gbOpen. Calculation: 11 October 2026. Rounded values may not add exactly; downloads retain the source values.
- Selected national polygon was matched uniquely; mapped area and reference surface were compared. Coastline and all minor island membership are not certified by a national agency.
- Earth Engine geometry area and raster pixelArea use different area conventions; their ratio is a sanity check, not a valid-pixel or classification-accuracy percentage.
- GAUL2015 incorrectly assigns Carriacou and Petite Martinique to Saint Vincent; pinned geoBoundaries/OSM 2017 polygons replace GAUL for both countries. Island membership checks passed; the coastline is still a screening source.
ESA WorldCover 2021 v200 · Historical observations · Reviewed 11 October 2026.
Shares use classified pixel area inside each selected screening boundary, including mapped water. They do not measure available farmland. Local classification accuracy and parcel availability are not established.
05Land and access
From a land lead
to a workable parcel.
A country programme or a patch of grassland helps direct the search. A pilot needs a specific place, clear rights and a current agreement.
The ministry lists a land-bank register as a planning objective; this is not proof of an operational, current inventory. A 2023 food-security application required proof of ownership or tenure.
What the satellite evidence supports
A fresh calculation using the documented country boundary is complete. Source artifacts, area checks and processing details are preserved. Local classification accuracy and legal land access have not been established.
Land cover describes vegetation; it does not establish vacant, accessible or plantable land. ESA WorldCover v200 observes 2021. Newer Sentinel screening has its own dates, quality controls and geographic scope.
Boundary scope: Selected national polygon was matched uniquely; mapped area and reference surface were compared. Coastline and all minor island membership are not certified by a national agency. Earth Engine geometry area and raster pixelArea use different area conventions; their ratio is a sanity check, not a valid-pixel or classification-accuracy percentage. GAUL2015 incorrectly assigns Carriacou and Petite Martinique to Saint Vincent; pinned geoBoundaries/OSM 2017 polygons replace GAUL for both countries. Island membership checks passed; the coastline is still a screening source.
A separate Sentinel-2 screening for January–September 2026 completed on a 1 km sampling grid. It checks the monitoring workflow and records observation coverage. It is too coarse for parcel decisions and does not establish current land use or availability.
ESA dataset and methodologyHistorical programmes and listings need current written confirmation. Gross parcel area and net plantable area are separate decisions.
06Production priorities
Design around the site
and the people using it.
Require current storm/volcanic-impact condition, water supply, drainage, soil stability and island-specific freight plans; historic national averages cannot resolve any of these. A 2025 ministry notice on stock trespass highlights the need for responsible livestock containment. It is an official summary, not a substitute for the actual law.
Compare proposed production with current use. Protect existing livelihoods and valuable habitats. Choose crops and farming systems after soil, water, market and farm-management checks.
- SVG Ministry notice: Stock Trespass Act 2025-02-19
These are proposed feasibility priorities. Sources provide country context and do not establish a CaribVista partnership.
08Check the evidence
Country sources, dates and access limits 13 records · Reviewed 11 October 2026
History and local context
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: Second country report on plant genetic resources ↗2008-10
- FAO: Agricultural preparedness and recovery for La Soufrière ↗2021-05-04
- FAO: Caribbean agricultural and fisheries recovery after Hurricane Beryl ↗2024-07-11
- FAO: Production and marketing partnerships in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ↗2025-03-26
Land, agriculture and programme evidence
Records distinguish primary text reviewed from excerpts and material that could not be retrieved. A source’s publication date and the review date serve different purposes.
- CARDI strategic plan 2024–2028
2024–2028 plan
Access: primary text reviewed. Regional research mandate and existing crop, livestock and resilience work; candidate institution, no CaribVista partnership. Accessed on the review date; this does not make historic data current.
- ESA WorldCover data access
2021 reference map; 2022 release
Access: primary text reviewed. WorldCover v 200 is land cover, not a cadastral, vacancy, crop-yield or legal-availability survey. Accessed on the review date; this does not make historic data current.
- SVG procurement: census of agriculture and fisheries field roles
Includes 2026-01-05 closing dates
Access: primary text reviewed. Field staff recruitment shows work continuing; does not establish census completion or result publication. Accessed on the review date; this does not make historic data current.
- SVG Ministry: agricultural diversification
2025-01-30
Access: primary text reviewed. Existing tree/root crops, livestock, greenhouses and training programmes. Accessed on the review date; this does not make historic data current.
- SVG policy, planning and agricultural support services
Publication date not established
Access: primary text reviewed. Lists establishment of a land bank as an objective, not proof of an operational vacancy database. Accessed on the review date; this does not make historic data current.
- SVG Ministry notice: Stock Trespass Act
2025-02-19
Access: primary text reviewed. Official communication on livestock damage/impoundment; obtain actual law and local advice before using as compliance instructions. Accessed on the review date; this does not make historic data current.
- SVG food insecurity project notice
2023-09-01
Access: primary document retrieved relevant text reviewed. Project application requires land ownership/tenure proof; historical intake, not current award. Accessed on the review date; this does not make historic data current.
- FAO agricultural census participation by round
Publication date not established
Access: primary text reviewed. Round listing; a listed year is not proof that final results have been released. Accessed on the review date; this does not make historic data current.
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2026 estimates
2026 budget
Access: Official indexed text for printed page 603 reviewed; whole PDF not audited in this pass.. Land Management Unit targets an updated parcel map by Q3 2026 and processing of Crown-land applications. Budgeted target does not verify delivery, public availability, agricultural vacancy or title.
The next conversation
Help shape a pilot in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Bring a local delivery team, a candidate site or a route to customers and households. Together, the next task is to agree the preparation work, its responsibilities and its budget.
Discuss a preparation partnershipAn invitation to prepare a project. Sites, funding and operating partnerships are still to be agreed.