The University of the Virgin Islands will assume control of the Island Fresh Aquaponics facility in St. Croix, following a formal transfer from nonprofit Fresh Ministries. The facility, located at the historic Bethlehem Sugar Factory site, is expected to expand the university’s aquaponics research and educational programming while contributing to long-term goals of sustainable agriculture in the islands.
Governor Albert Bryan Jr. (D) of the United States Virgin Islands, Reverend Robert Vernon Lee of Fresh Ministries, and University of the Virgin Islands President Safiya George participated in a ceremony to mark the transition of the facility to the university. The Island Fresh Aquaponics project was originally launched by Fresh Ministries as part of its broader focus on community development and food security.
The University of the Virgin Islands, a land-grant institution with a history of aquaponics research dating back to 1979, plans to incorporate the new facility into its School of Agriculture. According to Dr. Usman Adamu, dean and director of the school, the university is in the process of rebuilding its aquaponics infrastructure, which suffered major damage during Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017.
The university aims to use the site to support associate, bachelor’s, and certificate-level programs in aquaponics, aquaculture, and horticulture. Officials said the partnership will serve both educational and economic development goals.
The site’s transition comes amid growing public interest in local food production and health-focused agriculture. University-led efforts to integrate aquaponics into both academic and public outreach programming are expected to build on Fresh Ministries’ original mission.
While the governor and other officials framed the project as part of a larger strategy for economic diversification and healthier living in the territory, the initiative’s long-term success will depend on sustained community involvement, infrastructure investment, and program development.
