FPN responds to Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico
Hurricane Fiona slammed into Puerto Rico on the heels of Hurricane María’s five-year anniversary and at the peak of the harvest season for many of the island’s crops. The storm dumped over 30 inches of rain and left the entire island in the dark as basic utilities like power and water collapsed from historic flooding and landslides. Vast swaths of farmland have been devastated and food producers are doing all they can to restore operations, ensure business continuity, and prevent crops from going to waste.
Immediately after the storm hit, WCK’sFood Producer Network team conducted an island-wide assessment of more than 300 farmers to understand the scale of damage and identify areas of urgent need.
Farmers are historically on the front lines of climate change and climate disasters, and receive little to no aid or assistance. They now find themselves forced to rebuild their farms, and not for the first time. Although we are only beginning to understand the long term impacts of Hurricane Fiona, our assessment clearly evidenced widespread damage and indicated many farmers do not have access to the labor or tools needed to clear debris or power their infrastructure.
As a result, we worked with Home Depot to distribute much-needed tools like chainsaws, machetes, and generators which are proving essential to restore operations. We are also working with the Banco Popular Foundation to ensure farms have access to heavy machinery necessary to clear landslides, roads, and access paths.
So this work can be done as quickly as possible, we are connecting farms with a wide network of volunteers that have been hard at work cleaning, trimming trees, replanting, rebuilding greenhouses, and much more.
Plantain and banana farms were hit hard by Hurricane Fiona. Strong winds knocked down countless plants, ruining the year’s crops. WCK volunteers helped Agroempresas Las Delicias clear downed plants so the FPN program participant can prepare for the next harvest.
I have no words to thank you for this help. Despite the sadness of losing all these crops, it gives us great encouragement and inspiration to have organizations like WCK and these volunteers lending a helping hand.
Stephanie
Owner of Agroempresas Las Delicias
Like so many other farmers, Sebastian of Rancho Orgánico Feliz is no stranger to the devastation a hurricane can cause. His farm in western Puerto Rico suffered tremendous losses from Hurricane María and WCK helped finance the farm’s recovery efforts back then as one of our first grantees when we initially launched FPN. After Hurricane Fiona, WCK coordinated a group of volunteers to help Sebastian clean plots and save organic crops which are being made available to vulnerable communities through Mimosa Brunch Farm to Table—a WCK partner restaurant. Mimosa is owned and operated by Sebastian’s wife, Charlotte, and has served delicious and locally sourced meals to communities on the west side of the island as part of WCK’s Hurricane Fiona Response.
WCK’s Field Kitchen in Ponce purchased more than 30,000 pounds of fresh produce from FPN program participants that would have otherwise been lost. Fresh avocado, passionfruit, watermelon, mango, peppers, and pumpkin were all featured on our Relief Team’s menu, boosting nutritional value and offering a much-needed source of income for farmers. Much of this storm-battered produce was rendered “unsellable” to supermarkets because of cosmetic damage. The collaboration between WCK’s resilience and relief efforts not only ensured business continuity for farmers, but rescued thousands of pounds of food from going to waste. This evidence shows how the program is helping to create resilience and food security against future disasters.
MARC Ministry is a nonprofit in Vega Baja improving food and nutrition security for low-income families. Through a 2019 FPN grant, the organization rebuilt its kitchen with guidance from WCK’s Relief Team so the space could operate as an Emergency Relief Kitchen in the event of a crisis like Hurricane Fiona. MARC Ministry’s staff received additional training from WCK’s Chef Relief Team that empowered them to provide more than 80,000 meals to communities impacted by Hurricane Fiona.
FPN was launched in the aftermath of Hurricane María, which devastated Puerto Rico’s agricultural sector. After assessing the state of the sector, WCK determined that the best way to support Puerto Rico’s food system was by helping the local food community. With strong support of sustainable practices throughout the supply chain, FPN is contributing to improved access to locally produced food for all Puerto Ricans. As evidenced in our Hurricane Fiona response, the program is helping the island’s food system build resilience against future disasters.
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