This is where the Barbuda Research Complex (BRC) comes in. Hailing from Brooklyn College, Dr. Sophia Perdikaris and her team combine the field work of zooarchaeology with the goal of food security. Students interested in the program commit hours in the lab learning how to differentiate between species, rocks, and pottery shards. As a freshman, I had the pleasure of working in Dr. Perdikaris’ lab sieving and sorting through the excavation samples from the seaview location at Antigua and Barbuda. From a medical perspective, the hands-on experience offers insight into the anatomy and physiology of animals from snakes to land turtles. From an anthropological perspective, pottery burn and other artifacts allow researchers to glean information about past cultural practices. From a sustainability perspective, zooarchaeology helps form a better ecological profile of Antigua and Barbuda and builds the foundation for the Barbuda Aquaponics Facility next door to the BRC.
The Barbuda Aquaponics Facility breeds tilapia and grows edible plants. Using rainwater and local seeds, the facility focuses on agriculture without introducing potentially harmful invasive species. In the drought of March and April 2014, the facility was even able to continue operating with very little rainwater, producing lettuce and other leafy greens. Although the aquaponics grows enough to offer produce to local markets, the project is still being tweaked and refined to match the climate conditions. In the field of sustainability, aquaponics has so much more room to expand and help other communities like the ones in Antigua and Barbuda. I hope that the future brings more funding for facilities similar to the Barbuda Aquaponics Facility and more interest in local food production.
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Sources
http://infoagro.net/programas/seguridad/politicas/RegionCaribe/politica_antigua.pdf
http://barbudaresearchcomplex.weebly.com/aquaponics.html
Special thanks to Reaksha Persaud, the most enthusiastic and learnèd research supervisor I could have asked for.
