Sea Moss: More Than a Superfood
How residents of one fishing village in the Grenadines are making a sustainable living by farming sea moss
Under the warm, crystal-clear waters off the Grenadines in the Eastern Caribbean, nature is quietly growing a powerhouse: sea moss.
This superfood is packed with nutrients that are thought by many to boost the immune system, improve digestion, and make skin glow. It is also very versatile and can be used as a base ingredient in many of our favorite foods, such as ice cream, smoothies, and shakes.
For fisherfolk in Mayreau, a fishing community in the Grenadines, sea moss offers more than health benefits: it is a lifeline. Because their community is in a Marine Protected Area and fishing is not allowed, they must find a way to supplement their income.
In 2009, fisherfolk in the Mayreau Explorers Cooperative decided to harvest and sell sea moss to nearby residents. With no initial funding support, or even a market, the cooperative used local events like the Mayreau Annual Regatta to showcase their products. They exhibited and sold dried sea moss, along with several by-products such as ice cream, rum punch, fudge, and drinks, which were met with great success.
In 2014, the Mayreau Explorers connected with USAID through the assistance of a local organization, Sustainable Grenadines. During this partnership, USAID helped the cooperative improve production and overall operations by helping the fisherfolk buy assets like ice cream makers that would sustain the cooperative in the long term.
USAID also helped the Mayreau Explorers, which is made up of 20 fisherfolk, switch from horizontal to vertical farming. Had the cooperative tried to keep up with the increased demand for sea moss that started in 2018, the members would have had to use the entire Saline Bay. Instead, they turned to vertical farming.
Using the original eleven 25 feet x 30 feet plots with depths of 10 to 12 feet for vertical farming, the cooperative was able to harvest approximately 10 times higher yields within a three-month period as compared to the horizontal farming method.
This innovation has also improved efficiency along the production chain: The previous horizontal farming system required time for workers to remove wild grass that would usually grow on the ropes and become entangled within the sea moss. With vertical farming, the entire system is now fully submerged under water — that prevents the growth of this wild grass, making this step within the production chain obsolete.
Philman Ollivierre, one of the founders of the Mayreau Cooperative, is grateful for USAID’s support. “We could not have expanded and been as successful as we have been without the assistance of USAID. We were able to implement a more cost-effective and efficient system, which saw our production yields go from 500 to 700 pounds of sea moss in three months, to 5,000 pounds in three months. Through the funds generated from our increased yields, we were able to reinvest it into our system and expand.”
Today, they’re seeing unprecedented success. In 2019, the Mayreau Cooperative exported the largest single shipment of sea moss from St. Vincent and the Grenadines to the United States. Fifteen hundred pounds of dry Sea Moss was exported to Miami through St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Ministry of Agriculture’s Agri-Export Initiative. The sea moss was then used in food production in the United States. And it’s only getting better for the cooperative.
“Through the USAID assistance, we have begun to export to other states besides Florida. We are happy to be able to expand on what was started in 2019 with that very first shipment to Miami,” Philman said.
USAID is proud to have played a role in helping these fisherfolk see a brighter future. “For decades, one of the main objectives of USAID’s work in this region has been assisting communities in being self-reliant and successful. We are very pleased that we were instrumental in contributing to the success of the Mayreau Explorers’ sea moss farming project, which has transformed the lives of the fisherfolk and residents,” said Clinton White, director of USAID’s Eastern and Southern Caribbean Mission.
Today, the Mayreau Cooperative continues to build connections and export their products across the Eastern Caribbean and to the United States. And in the gentle waters of Saline Bay, nature is silently getting a vertical forest of sea moss ready for harvest.
About the Author
Ayesha Lett is the Development Outreach and Communications Specialist at USAID Eastern and Southern Caribbean located in Barbados.
