Thirteen entrepreneurs in Grenada’s agriculture sector have emerged as winners in the Blue-Green Digital Innovation Challenge. The Challenge was launched in June 2023 by the Government of Grenada with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean. 

Each of the awardees will receive a grant of up to US$30,000 to assist in starting or expanding their agro-processing or agri-tourism businesses.

The successful entrants are: Duchess Farms Grenada, Grenada Agro Tourism, Akata Farms, Simply Pure Agro Processing, The Flour Garden Brand, Milkeni Trading, Crunch Commodities, Sandy’s Place and Catering Services/Sandy’s Family Farm, Isle Bee Well Inc., FruttiMoss Grenada, Genesis Added Value Nutmeg Cooperative Society Ltd., Revivafy, and Tri-Island Chocolate.

   Photo: UNDP/Haron Forteau

Addressing the Award Ceremony at the Radisson Beach Resort in Grenada on Thursday, September 27, Minister of State with responsibility for Agriculture & Lands, Fisheries and Cooperatives, Senator The Hon. Adrian Thomas, lauded all of the participants – particularly the young entrants, noting that the initiative aligns fully with the country’s policy agenda.

“The Blue-Green Digital Innovation Challenge is ground-breaking for Grenada’s agriculture and agribusiness sector. We are strongly promoting the use of more digital technologies. My Government is determined to ensure that our people are not left behind in the creation and advancement of digital economies,” he said.

Also on hand to congratulate the winners and present awards was UNDP Resident Representative for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Ms. Limya Eltayeb, who emphasized that the initiative showed that Grenadians can contribute to food security through technology, innovation, agro-processing, and agri-tourism: 

“The Blue-Green Digital Innovation Challenge is about transforming agriculture and how we look at the sector – not just within the sector itself and related industries, but as a nation and a people. Communities understand their own problems and can be part of the solution and process of transformation.” 

FAO Value Chain Expert and Coordinator, Ms. Vermaran Extavour, expressed appreciation to the successful entrepreneurs for their dedication to the activities conducted under the Challenge. She said it had aimed to identify useful and practical digital solutions that could enhance and respond to the changing climate in the blue and green economies of Grenada. She urged the entrepreneurs to focus on a market-driven approach that would see solutions improving market access and the services provided to consumers. 

“We have been pleased to see a wide range of solutions that have been proposed to many of the challenges faced. We look forward to continuing our collaborative support with the agro-processors and the agri-tourism entrepreneurs on their journey to implementing their digital solutions.” 

The objective of the Blue-Green Digital Innovation Challenge was to support local entrepreneurs who have great ideas but may lack the required funding or technical know-how to implement them, addressing the need for greater innovation at a community level. During the Challenge, participants also collaborated with digital experts to fully develop their ideas and received other training. The initiative came under the scope of the GEF-funded Climate Resilience Agriculture Project in Grenada, designed to improve the resilience of agricultural systems. The UNDP Accelerator Lab in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, known for its work with grassroots innovators, also played a critical role in supporting the Blue-Green Digital Innovation Challenge.

The awardees were selected from among the 17 finalists shortlisted to pitch their projects to the expert panel of judges on September 22. The Challenge received a total of 58 applications.