OASIS GROW HOUSE
Cultivating Food Security Through Our Retractable Grow House
Our new Oasis Grow House is a game-changer for local farming and the first of its kind in the country. This revolutionary 1.1-acre, fully automated facility creates the optimum growing conditions for crops to thrive, despite our subtropical climate and scorching summer temperatures. Like other CTI facilities, the Oasis Grow House will offer training to local farmers to help them scale up and expand their own farming operations. Eleutheran farmers will continue the tradition of participating in hands-on training at CTI to learn and mirror the growing techniques and technology used in the Oasis Grow House for their benefit.
Thanks to strategic investments by two key partners—The TK Foundation and The Sallingsund Bridge Foundation—the Oasis Grow House will enable OEF to make significant enhancements to food security and food sovereignty on Eleuthera and throughout The Bahamas for years to come.
A Sustainable Solution to Subtropical Farming
Historically, farmers have not been able to grow leafy greens and the more delicate crops in The Bahamas during the hotter spring and summer months, bringing crop production to a complete halt. Through its retractable roof-and-wall system, the Oasis Grow House will be able to open and close and regulate internal temperatures to ensure that crops get just the right amount of both sunshine and shade.
With the introduction of year-round growing and harvesting, we will now be able to produce a substantial amount of nutrient-rich vegetables without interruption. A combination of in-ground growing and hydroponic systems will be utilized inside the Oasis to grow leafy greens, kale, carrots, beets, radishes, scallions, zucchini, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, and more.
Protecting Crops During Natural Disasters
The Oasis Grow House can withstand the impact of up to a Category 2 hurricane. If strong winds are detected, beyond this level the “smart structure” will retract, opening its walls and roof to prevent the grow house from being destroyed. Should disaster strike, we won’t lose the ability to feed ourselves and our communities.
The facility also has three massive water tanks and a reverse osmosis water system with the capacity to store more than one million gallons of runoff rainwater collected from the structure itself. Eleuthera has frequent “dry spells” and a freshwater shortage, however, we now have more than enough water to support the entire property and the crops on our training farm.
Get Involved
OEF relies on the generous donations of our partners and patrons to develop and sustain impactful initiatives like the Oasis Grow House. Help us to continue the tradition of building a better future for our local communities by supporting our work in creating food security and enhanced farmer training.
