Researching Small-Scale Agriculture in Vieques, Puerto Rico

By Melissa Vargas.

This fall 2020 International Research and Internship (IRIS) semester, I conducted my senior thesis research on the roles of small-scale agricultural initiatives in Vieques in increasing local food production on the island. My research explored the approaches of multiple different initiatives, as well as some of the challenges associated with local small-scale agricultural production in Vieques, Puerto Rico.

The municipality of Vieques, about eight miles off the eastern coast of mainland Puerto Rico, today imports ninety-nine percent of its food through a precarious ferry system. This ferry system is rendered non-operational in the case of weather emergencies such as hurricanes, which over the years have grown in both prevalence and intensity. Vieques is the last stop in the transportation chain of imported food, a chain of import dependence that has been cemented by decades of US colonial food policy. Most food products are imported from mainland United States and first travel to mainland Puerto Rico before finally arriving in Vieques.

In response to this unsustainable reality of colonial food import dependency, a local agricultural movement in Vieques is increasingly growing. Currently, nearly all agricultural production on the island is small-scale.

I interned at La Finca de Hamberto, a small-scale farm in Vieques, Puerto Rico that seeks to increase food security on the island.The project is one of two projects linked to a non-profit called Community Through Colors. The second project, Sail Relief Team, focuses on hurricane response, recovery, and resilience and focuses largely on installing and maintaining solar energy systems throughout Puerto Rico.

While working at La Finca de Hamberto, I led the preparation of 50+ hot meals three times a week for vulnerable residents of Vieques, helped feed and cared for farm animals, and helped maintain/expand the farm’s produce gardens.

My research in Vieques allowed me to meaningfully explore local strategies and struggles in deconstructing colonized, inequitable food systems. I look forward to furthering this research during my Capstone semester in the Spring of 2021.