Across Grenada, communities face challenges like coastal
flooding, housing pressure, low incomes, and climate
threats to farming and fishing. Building resilience and
securing local food systems are national priorities.
Carriacou and Petite Martinique, with a combined population of 5,661, depend economically on fishing, livestock, and remittances. The islands face severe water shortages that impact local agriculture, compounded by hurricanes that disrupt fishing activities and the transport of imported goods. The high dependence on rainwater harvesting and the vulnerability to severe droughts necessitate enhanced water management practices and the development of sustainable food production models to ensure food security and economic stability. The INFORM Risk 2025 highlights the need for these islands to invest in rainwater harvesting, desalination, and sustainable food production models to ensure their long-term sustainability and resilience.
Overall Grenada’s rural and coastal communities face significant socioeconomic vulnerabilities that exacerbate their exposure to climate risks. Its economic dependence on climate-sensitive sectors like agriculture and fisheries which are highly exposed to droughts, hurricanes, and rising sea levels pose significant considerations related to socioeconomic vulnerability of their inhabitants.
This is particularly true for rural parishes like St. Mark’s, St. Patrick’s, and St. John’s were higher poverty levels and lower income opportunities due to reliance on subsistence agriculture and fishing threaten their coping capacity to deal with future climatic changes. Additionally, the inequality in access to infrastructure and services need to be addressed.
Disparities in road networks, water systems, and financial access limit adaptive capacity of some communities in Grenada. When it comes to food security risks, the dependence on imports and historical and projected climate-affected local production threatens household nutrition and affordability.
Grenada’s parishes exhibit varied levels of economic stability and infrastructure resilience as discussed before, but all face growing risks from climate change. This situation calls for targeted adaptation strategies, sustainable resource management, and enhanced investment in resilience-building measures to ensure long-term food security and socioeconomic stability. According to the information presented in the INFORM Risk Index, Grenada's exposure to cyclones poses a significant risk that affects the entire population and infrastructure. This high exposure necessitates robust disaster preparedness and response strategies to mitigate the impacts of such events.
Hence, the lack of coping capacity needs to be addressed in Grenada to highlighting areas where improvements are necessary to reduce risk and enhance community resilience. This includes making sure the weather stations and gauges are in optimal condition and cover the necessary geographies of the tri-state area to ensure trends are captured, and early warning systems are fed with quality information. In addition to infrastructure resilience, having good emergency services and governmental disaster response mechanisms is crucial for effective coping capacities in the country.
The State of Grenada consists of three islands- Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique which form the southern end of the Windward Islands.
Phone +1 (473) 440-2255