Island are favourably positioned to develop organic market gardening for the following reasons:
Because of the persistence of traditional vegetable production for home use on Islands there is a significant ‘skills’ base that, with modest training, can be up-graded to small scale levels of commercial production.
Islands generally enjoy mild conditions given the effect of the Gulf Stream
All of the islands with populations in excess of 100 have ready made local markets in the form of the summer tourist trade. Production should be directed exclusively at this market given the existing unfilled demand and growing expectations by visitors that local produce should be available.
A ‘premium’ for vegetable production on islands already exists given the transport costs for suppliers from the mainland.
This type of agriculture often compliments existing tourism activities such as restaurants, guest houses etc and creates additional focal points of interest for visitors.
Various other ‘spin off’s’ have been identified such as the production of flowers for window displays etc (local consumption), the use of composting and vermiculture or the products thereof as part of local environmentally acceptable waste management strategies, the cultivation of wild flowers and local shrubs for resale.
[Why organic mareket gardening on offshore Islands] [Background to the project] [Objectives] [Training] [Useful links]