Against a backdrop of persistent food security challenges and heavy reliance on imported produce across the Caribbean, a first-time onion cultivator in Barbados has delivered an encouraging early win, demonstrating how targeted public agricultural investment can unlock local production potential.
Shamon O’Garro, founder of Greenhill Family Farms based in St. Lucy, has harvested a remarkably successful maiden crop from just under one acre of farmland, overcoming multiple rookie obstacles and erratic weather conditions that many new growers would struggle to navigate. His success comes directly on the back of a new state-backed post-harvest handling facility launched by the Barbados Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (BADMC) in Christ Church, a development built to address long-standing systemic barriers that have crippled local onion production for decades.
Reflecting on his first four-month growing cycle in an interview with Barbados TODAY, O’Garro expressed surprise at how well his venture turned out, even when factoring in self-inflicted planting errors and industry-wide supply chain disruptions. “My introduction to onion farming has been nothing short of excellence,” he shared. “It came out pretty well, to be honest, especially given all the challenges I faced along the way — I planted the seeds a little too close together, and we dealt with widespread fertilizer shortages. But for a first attempt this year, we did really well.”
O’Garro’s entry into commercial agriculture was not a random choice: he was driven by a desire to strengthen Barbados’ domestic food economy, inspired by a long-time veteran onion grower who lives next door. “My neighbour, who I really look up to, has grown onions for many years,” he explained. “Seeing the success he’s built, and the respect he’s earned across the farming and market communities, that pushed me to want to be part of this movement, to grow onions right here for Barbados.”
When asked what the most critical lesson he learned from his first harvest was, O’Garro highlighted the non-technical traits that make a successful smallholder farmer. “Patience. Nothing but patience, and you also have to stay committed,” he said. “So many unexpected things can pop up over the four months it takes to grow an onion crop. You just have to stay steady and patient through it all.”
For O’Garro, the BADMC’s new facility solves two of the most pressing risks small-scale growers face: post-harvest spoilage and crop loss to theft. “One of my biggest worries when I was growing the onions was leaving them in the field — what if we got hit by theft?” he said. “Now that this facility is here, I don’t have to stress about that anymore. I can just bring my onions here, drop them off, and get them cured properly under controlled conditions.”
The facility’s long-term impact stretches far beyond providing safe, professional storage for current farmers. BADMC and local agricultural stakeholders expect the infrastructure to create a consistent, dependable supply chain for locally grown onions that will cut the island nation’s dependence on costly imported produce. By cutting post-harvest waste, the facility enables farmers to supply local supermarkets on a steady basis, and in the future, could open doors to selling to larger regional export markets, O’Garro noted.
Already, O’Garro is planning his next growing cycle and is calling on other current and prospective local farmers to take advantage of this new public resource to expand domestic production. “I want to tell other farmers: get involved. This is really promising,” he urged. “When it’s time for my next harvest, I’ll be first in line to use this amazing new facility in Christ Church.”