Country Profile

Montserrat is a British Overseas Territory located in the Leeward Islands and measures approximately 16 km (10 mi) long by 11 km (7 mi) wide and is also known as the Emerald Isle of the Caribbean. In July 1995 a major eruption of a long-dormant volcano located in the Soufriere Hills, destroyed the capital city – Plymouth, including the airport and two-thirds of the population were forced to leave the island. As a result of continued volcanic activity, an exclusion zone has been defined because of the increase in the size of the existing volcanic dome. Economic activities, particularly in agriculture and tourism, continue to be determined by the volcanic activity as the agriculture sector has been affected by the destruction of crops and limited land for farming. The main commodities are cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers and livestock.

Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) Strategic Plan 2018-2022

The thrust of CARDI in Montserrat has mostly revolved around the transfer of technologies for the development of the roots and tubers industry, sweet potato and cassava, on the island. This thrust will remain; however, a climate and disaster risk resilience approach will be taken with respect to production systems. Alternative production systems which will allow for production of a wider range of agricultural commodities will be tested and validated. Additionally, alternative production systems which will offer protection from the elements and harmful events such as acid rain and more extreme weather phenomena such as hurricanes will be identified and validated. Other commodities which will be given focus are hot peppers, small ruminants and neo tropical animals for the export market.

Download CARDI STRATEGIC PLAN 2018 – 2022