Cashew Gardens Community Greenhouse (Couva, Trinidad and Tobago)
Couva, Trinidad and Tobago · Operator: Cashew Gardens Village Council / Cashew Gardens Community Development Club
Overview
A community greenhouse run by residents in the Cashew Gardens neighbourhood within the Couva-Tabaquite-Talparo Corporation of Trinidad. Short-cycle crops are grown hydroponically, harvested rainwater is used for irrigation, and agricultural and household food waste is composted to recycle nutrients. It grew out of the neighbourhood's recycling work: outside funders and universities supply money and know-how, but residents do the daily growing.
Citizen participation
Residents of Cashew Gardens provide the labour for growing and maintaining the crops. The village council deliberately involves local children in the work, saying that everything the community does includes its children.
Operating model
Construction was funded by the UNDP Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF SGP), the Digicel Foundation and Republic Bank. Habitat for Humanity Trinidad and Tobago coordinated with the village council, while the University of the West Indies and the Water Resources Agency's Adopt a River programme provide technical expertise. Short-cycle crops such as lettuce and patchoi are grown as cash crops.
Impact
Gave a resident-run organisation in a small island developing state its own route to growing and selling vegetables. The same community group's recycling programme, running since 2016, had increased collections by 90% by 2021 and diverted over five tonnes of plastic, cans, glass and tetra packs from landfill.
Crops
- レタス
- パクチョイ
Scale
223 m² — 約2,400平方フィート（およそ223平方メートル）の温室。共有地に建てられている。
Sources（2）
This entry is compiled from the public sources, official sites and research below.
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