Government’s Continued Assault on Agricultural Land Threatens Barbados’ Food Security
 The announcement of the newest housing development at Vineyard, St. Philip represents yet another disheartening setback for agriculture in Barbados. It is deeply troubling that this Government continues to sacrifice fertile agricultural land for housing developments, this time proposing to utilize approximately 80 acres of prime agricultural land to construct 1,100 houses at a reported cost of $300 million.
This latest proposal comes against the backdrop of a growing list of failed, delayed, and unfinished government housing projects that have cost taxpayers millions of dollars. Barbadians have not forgotten the $60 million Hope Housing Project; the Chinese steel-framed housing project, which ballooned to approximately $44 million after cost overruns; the ill-conceived Pool, St. John development, where construction commenced without basic infrastructure or the transfer of titles, resulting in an estimated $10 million in wasted public funds; the long-delayed Dodds Plantation project, which should have been completed in 2023; the Cliffden Hill, St. Philip development, now more than two years behind schedule with no clear accounting of its cost; and the abandoned Brighton, St. George housing project.
Before embarking on yet another massive development, Government owes Barbadians an explanation for these unfinished projects and the millions of taxpayer dollars already squandered.
Equally concerning is the Government’s claim that these homes are intended for low-income Barbadians. Housing starting at $170,000 simply cannot be described as affordable for many working-class families struggling under the weight of rising inflation, stagnant wages, and an ever-increasing cost of living. Such pricing effectively excludes many of the very people who need affordable housing the most.
This is further evidence that the Government has become disconnected from the realities facing ordinary Barbadians and reflects the National Housing Corporation’s failure to fulfill its mandate of providing genuinely affordable housing.
Transparency and accountability are not optional in a democracy. Barbadians deserve answers. This Administration cannot continue to dispose of national assets and make decisions of enormous public consequence without meaningful consultation, full disclosure, and accountability. Citizens are increasingly concerned about the direction in which this country is heading, and those concerns cannot simply be ignored.
If we do not produce, we will perish.
Government’s persistent conversion of agricultural lands to non-agricultural uses fundamentally undermines every stated commitment to food security. Food security cannot be achieved while reducing the very land base upon which local food production depends. Every acre of fertile agricultural land lost to housing or commercial development weakens Barbados’ ability to feed
itself and increases our dependence on imported food.
How does Government seriously expect to achieve food security while steadily eroding the country’s agricultural capacity? Agricultural land should remain dedicated to agriculture. Once prime farmland is lost, it is rarely recovered.
The consequences of this policy extend far beyond agriculture. Barbados continues to struggle with an unprecedented food import bill while the cost of nutritious food places healthy eating beyond the reach of many families. At the same time, health professionals continue to warn about the alarming rise in non-communicable diseases, while approximately 42 percent of our nation’s children are classified as obese. These realities demand a serious national commitment to expanding local food production and not reducing it.
The Government’s carefully staged social media photographs and public relations exercises, showing a Minister posing in fields after dark, amount to little more than political theatre. They create the illusion of commitment to agriculture while the reality tells a very different story. Farmers continue to plead for reliable access to irrigation water. Pig farmers are struggling to compete against imported frozen pork from Suriname. Yet meaningful interventions remain absent.
Instead of implementing practical policies that strengthen the agricultural sector, the Minister of Agriculture appears more focused on optics than outcomes. Many Barbadians have been left disappointed by the Minister’s performance. Leadership requires results, not photo opportunities. Continued inaction poses a direct threat to agricultural development and our nation’s long-term food security.
There are also serious questions that demand immediate public answers.
- Was a Resolution laid in Parliament authorizing Vineyard Development Inc. to enter into this Joint Venture arrangement with Government?
- Have the lands already been transferred, or are they in the process of being transferred, to a Special Purpose Vehicle under Vineyard Development Inc.?
- The Prime Minister has indicated that Government will contribute the land as equity. What valuation has been assigned to that land, and what is the cost per square foot being used for this transaction?
- What safeguards exist to ensure that Barbadians receive full value for these public assets?
Government must also provide Barbadians with an update on several agricultural initiatives that have seemingly disappeared from public discussion.
What is the current status of the prison farming programme that was intended to supply food for inmates and members of the Barbados Defence Force?
What measurable benefits has Barbados received after exporting our indigenous Black Belly Sheep genetics, and what concrete plans exist to rebuild local herd numbers?
What is the status of the imported heifers programme, and what outcomes has it achieved?
What progress has been made in developing the Medicinal Cannabis Industry? How much revenue
has Government collected through licence and application fees, and what economic benefits have flowed to the people of Barbados?
Barbadians deserve clear answers, measurable outcomes, and responsible stewardship of our national resources. Food security is not achieved through speeches, slogans, or staged photographs. It requires vision, planning, investment, and above all, the protection of the finite agricultural lands upon which our nation’s future depends.
This Government must immediately reconsider its continued practice of converting prime agricultural land into housing developments. Once these lands are covered with concrete, they are lost forever. The decisions being made today will determine whether future generations inherit a country capable of feeding itself, or one that has permanently traded its food security for short-term political gain.
Barbados deserves better.
Amoy Gilding-Bourne, Attorney-at-Law
DLP Spokesperson on Agriculture & Food Security
July-16-2026
