In the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, the island of Grenada, which imports 80 percent of its food, saw an opportunity to make itself more climate-resilient by encouraging farmers to adopt ‘smarter’ farming methods. At the helm of this initiative is chef Kennedy Roberts—and it’s his own backyard that’s been both inspiration and blueprint.
“Welcome to rollercoaster Grenada.” That’s how the island is first introduced to me by local guide Sheldon Noel, as he drives us up and down the hilly countryside. The peaks and dips may not be ideal for the keen walkers and bikers among us, but it’s these very peaks and dips that proved essential in protecting the island from Hurricane Beryl in July 2024.
Grenada’s sister islands did not fare so well. The hurricane destroyed more than 95 percent of homes in Carriacou and Petite Martinique, 45 and 55 miles away from the main island respectively. As Beryl uprooted thousands of acres of arable land, and the livelihoods of many, it’s hard to see the silver lining. While the Category 4 hurricane tore roofs and flooded fields, some of the damage was contained where hilly terrain and water-absorbing soil protected the farms supplying the nation’s food.
At the moment, Grenada imports 80 percent of its food—not unusual in the Caribbean—but now, a project to turn the nation into the first ‘climate-smart islands’ in the Caribbean, has been fast-tracked after the tragedy. But what does ‘climate-smart’ mean? Turns out there’s a chef who has a few answers—and a cooking class—to share with me.
The goal is to turn the islands into self-sufficient hubs, where most of the food consumed on the island is also produced, packaged, and distributed locally. By preventing climate events from disrupting this chain, insular nations can better plan for the future, and rely less on exports. It’s not just economic sense; it’s healthier too—weeding out imported ultra-processed foods, and encouraging wholesome produce to circulate from family farm to family table.
I learn more when I join chef Kennedy Roberts on one of his one-day cooking experiences. Born and bred in Grenada, and a former diplomat and health advisor for the Grenadian government, Roberts is now at the helm of Home Hospitality Grenada, a farm-to-fork experience where visitors can learn about Grenada’s traditional cuisine. “My objective is that by 2030, when the Sustainable Development Goals come to an end, Carriacou and Petite Martinique will be ‘smart islands’ with reduced fossil fuel usage, better water retention in the soil, sustainable fishing, and local crops feeding our people.”
… We’ve just prepared an oil-down, Grenada’s national dish, a hearty stew made of layers of vegetables and salted meat and boiled on a fire. Of the 11 ingredients needed to make the oil-down, seven come from Roberts’ garden. All, save for the meats—chicken, pork and fish—which he buys locally.
The farm-to-fork experience, which he started in 2020, begins in Roberts’ back garden. “It was a stroke of, I don’t want to say luck, but just timing that Beryl came so soon after the new government started taking serious steps towards climate and agriculture,” he tells me. The newly-created Water Resource Management Agency is a result of that commitment.
On first glance, Grenada’s rugged, hilly hinterland may not look like high-yielding terrain. Yet, more than 3,000 families across the three islands rely on agriculture for their living, from spice, to cocoa and fruit. The high percentage of imports is another issue and part of that shift away from imports is “going back to Indigenous ways of not eating so much processed food, “ says Roberts. And that links to how much the land can yield. “With more efficient systems in place, like rotating crops, we cut that dependency on imported foods, and see the land feeding its growing local population instead.”
The jungle-like nature of Grenada reveals itself the further inland you go. Hirsute goats chew plants twice as tall as them, surrounded by emerald green wild fields, interrupted, every now and then, by narrow dirt roads going further uphill. It’s an impressive sight, and easy to forget you’re in the same place where you were bathing in turquoise waters only moments earlier.
Before opening his kitchen and garden to visitors, Roberts spent over a decade at Grenada’s St George’s University teaching public health. He quickly spotted the challenges that needed addressing—health, food, and agriculture–and he couldn’t resist the call.
Walking under Roberts’ garden’s leafy palms, you can barely hear yourself think as nutmeg peels crackle loudly under your feet. Nutmeg is one of the country’s biggest exports, with no part of it wasted, from the fragrant core to the sturdy peels used as nature’s anti-theft alarm—no matter how quietly you step on the path, these pesky peels make a proper racket, and reveal your location to anyone in the vicinity (tried and tested).
As part of the experience, we’ve just prepared an oil-down, Grenada’s national dish, a hearty stew made of layers of vegetables and salted meat and boiled on a fire. Of the 11 ingredients needed to make the oil-down, seven come from Roberts’ garden. All, save for the meats—chicken, pork and fish—which he buys locally.
Atroll in the garden reveals those ingredients in the wild: Broad-leaf callaloo, breadfruit, green bananas, and golden, plump seasoning peppers. Immersed in this paradise of tall avocado trees, with spice shrubs up to your knees and palm fronds humming in the breeze, it’s easy to forget the hurricane could have turned the land into a molehill—if the land had been weeded as Roberts had wanted.
“It’s funny, because I’d always tell our gardener Mr John to cut down bushes and weeds, and then Beryl came,” Roberts tells me. “And because he wasn’t really weeding the beds, the soil kept its strength. It protected a lot of our land and it reduced the loss.”
It was at the time of the hurricane that he and his family realized their experience could be useful for other Grenadian farmers facing the same challenges in the wake of frequent and unexpected climate events.
Before Hurricane Beryl struck, Roberts had been working as an ambassador for AMBIBRU (Ambassade Bruxelles), a project seeking EU funding to improve Grenada’s agricultural practices, and in the works since a new forward-thinking, young government led by Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell, from the liberal National Democratic Congress party, took the reins in late 2022.
The government is now starting to address the challenges Grenadian islands face. Already prone to suffer droughts, as the temperatures rise the islands now face heatwaves, hurricanes, and water scarcity that risk severely affecting the country’s food supply.
“We have been building this project with UN sustainability goals in mind for many years,” Roberts tells me. “When Beryl came, we decided to fast-track it because resources have opened up for emergency cases like this. For a project in the UK or in Romania, EUR€50m (USD$57m) is a small thing. But for islands like Grenada, €50m or €100m is significant.”
“In small and developing islands, the majority of the economy is supported by small, micro and medium businesses. If we promote a culture where people are educated about sustainability, circular economies, and about climate-resilient activities, they will be more inclined to support the small business, the artisan butcher, the small food-maker.”
- Ariel Roberts, UN project collaborator and Roberts’ daughter
The first stage of this long-term project seeks to collect data from 3,000 farmers to find out how they are managing their resources, and what challenges they’ve encountered. Collecting those experiences is key, explains project collaborator, and Roberts’ daughter, Ariel Roberts.
“The end goal is to address not just the infrastructural gaps, but the educational gaps”, she explains. The project offers resources on sustainability—from what to plant and when for highest yield—to how to strengthen native plant breeds on the island. Some farmers are already using these practices, passed on from generation to generation, but they don’t know how to adapt them to face extreme weather events. “Because so many of those farmers are working off Indigenous knowledge, and enjoy their autonomy, they’re happy with their level of living and aren’t actively trying to change.”
Despite the communication hurdle, the team hasn’t given up. So far, over 500 farmers have shared their experiences, and a mass-scale outreach to outline the benefits of taking part in AMBIBRU is ongoing. As the oil-down simmers gently in the background, the fragrance of turmeric, coconut milk and tangy salted codfish fills the air. It all links back to chef Roberts’ farm, and the permaculture practices he upholds.
For example, they’re allowing the plot of land they’ve used heavily over the past year to rest, and grow weeds. His three goats will eat the grass, and fertilize the ground with their manure at the same time, he explains. Once the ground has rested for a couple of months, the patch will be ready to host cabbages and chives again.
Rotating crops is something the Roberts family shares with fellow local farmers, as well as people who come and make Grenada their home for a while. But the challenge is ensuring it becomes standard practice for the wider community. “I know that’s a sustainable way, but no-one would really know unless they came in and asked me specifically about it,” Roberts says. “So yes, I think that this farm is a great example of sustainability and sustainable land management practices for others.”
The EU-backed project has been designed with Grenada in mind, but it could apply to any other island in the Caribbean. In neighboring St Lucia, overall imports account for 44 percent, and in Trinidad and Tobago, food imports have cost the nation more than the government spends on its public sector programme annually.
“In small and developing islands, the majority of the economy is supported by small, micro and medium businesses,” says Ariel Roberts. “If we promote a culture where people are educated about sustainability, circular economies, and about climate-resilient activities, they will be more inclined to support the small business, the artisan butcher, the small food-maker.”
It would be impossible to imagine Grenada without its artisan and independent businesses. Growers in Grenada’s Market Square, in the heart of capital St George’s, talk proudly about their produce and cherish that ‘wow’ moment that follows a sampling session. Even restaurants feel homely. Uniting local ingredients to tasting-menu style serving, Dexter’s restaurant is right inside the chef’s own home.
For 28-year-old Ariel, this is where youth and tourism come in. “Part of the project is putting greater emphasis on the next generations, as a lot of farmers are now over 50. We want to encourage innovative entrepreneurship within our young people, and elevate ourselves back to a strong regional position.”
Back in her father’s garden, after careful assemblage, laying layer after fragrant layer inside a deep cast-iron pot, the oil-down is bubbling away, the low gurgling sound alerting us the feast is ready to begin. Chef Roberts has put together a meal fit for a king, with callaloo fritters for starters—and a fruity rum punch. After chopping, cooking, plating, and sitting down together to eat, the experience comes full circle. It feels less like having done a cooking class, and more like having shared a treasured afternoon with a relative, chatting and laughing over a mouthwatering meal.
After the very filling feast, I briefly consider putting my fork down. Then I remember the importance of zero waste on the island. I decide to do my bit, and fill my second bowl to the top.
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Rory is a freelance travel and food journalist based in York, UK. Mostly found slurping noodles and sketching birds around the world, they love culture, cuisine, and wildlife reporting. Rory also specializes on Queer trips, informing and inspiring trans and non-binary travelers with their newsletter 'Travel Outside the Binary'. Rory’s work is featured on OutThere, The i Paper, TimeOut, Metro, and Vacationer among others.
