News
Growing; a Woman who refuses to let TCI tradition rot in the field
By Shanieka Smith
Features Writer
#TurksandCaicos, April 5, 2022 – From Banking to Psychology to Farming, Mrs KacyDee Higgs, a forty-seven-year-old farmer from North Caicos resolutely confesses being a woman farmer has not been the easiest, but with equal determination, she tells the many challenges, I have grown to like you!
“My kitchen garden turned into my backyard garden and my backyard garden turned into a
farm,” she said as she chuckled and reminisced on the 10-years it took her to realise success as a farmer.
KacyDee Higgs started commercial farming in 2009. Higgs now has a thriving business patriotically called, Caicos Traditions, and her goal is to rejuvenate the staples of yesteryear.
Even as she balances her passion – farming, she currently works in the Mental Health Department for the Turks and Caicos Islands Government as a substance-dependence client counsellor.
“I get that question all the time [why farming?], especially from persons who know me and the jobs that I had before farming. I think they ask me that because, for years, we’ve been looking at agriculture as a demeaning job, so I get that question,” she admitted when we interviewed her following her recent awarding of a Government Agro-Grant.
Mrs Higgs was open and shared, one person asked why she would hang up a corporate jacket to do farming. “It came across pretty derogatory at first, but then I had to realize that they just didn’t see the vision that I had,” Higgs expressed.
Her vision for her Turks and Caicos Islands is to be a self-sufficient island nation, capable of feeding itself.
“A nation that cannot feed itself is not a growing nation,” Higgs expressed.
Her firm perspective is that food security is essential and agriculture should be the TCI’s top goal. In fact, the owner of Caicos Traditions said she believes farming should be taught from birth.
Though she acknowledged that farming is now being taken more seriously in the country, she emphasised that “food security is not only planting or giving a grant to plant food.” Higgs said, “for me, food security is making certain that should something strike this very moment, if you can give an account of 30 thousand people being in North Caicos, those 30 thousand people can be fed.”
The realisation of the significance of food security is the inspiration and motivation behind Caicos Traditions, where produce and herbs like corn, papaya, okra, sugar cane, sugar apples, sweet potatoes, cassava, basil, pepper, and a variety of peas like pigeon, cow, and dry beans bloom straight from the ground and are hanging off the trees.
She said she stuck with these foods, (staples of yesteryear) because they are more adaptable and conducive to the environment in the TCI, even with global warming and other existing environmental issues.
“The reason why Caicos Traditions has started this venture is to make certain that our heritage is carried on and our culture stays alive,” she added.
Higgs is married with four children and manages to be a star farmer. She also wears her jacket in the corporate space, and it would be remiss not to ask, “how do you do it all?”
“It is a work of art, I don’t have it all under control and sometimes I focus more on my job and my farm gets left behind but I try my best to keep my children on a good foot. She added, however, that most of her children are grown and are helpful in the farming department.”
When reflecting on how her children support agribusiness she drove home a profound point – farming is multifaceted. It is not just physical work on a farm; many other things are done behind and beyond the farm.
In all doings, there are challenges and successes. For Higgs, her series of challenges spiralled into her biggest success yet when it comes to her agribusiness.
“My biggest success for farming is seeing that my mills and my grits and corn flour are finally on the shelves of a grocer,” she expressed.
In a truly open exchange, revealing the length and breadth and depth of this Woman Farmer KacyDee said it was in a simple black and white composition book where she drafted her grand plans.
A cousin told her she is ten years ahead of her time – that was discouraging.
“…everywhere I twist and turn, I was getting knocked down. I had to move off the property that I was on, I had a three-year break from farming and I was like, if you want me to do this Lord, why are you making it so difficult?”
She lamented and she waited. In the waiting, throughout her three year break, KacyDee Higgs studied Psychology and had given up on farming or so she thought.
But as passion is a peculiar thing. It can go to sleep and be revived and so it was for her and the passion she has for farming and supporting the vision for national food security.
This champion businesswoman showed grit and picked it all back up.
Caicos Traditions would soon be outputting grits, corn flour and today, those products sit on shelves at Graceway IGA. The down home North Caicos product has also given birth to the idea and production of other traditional ingredients like grated coconut.
North Caicos is called the green island as the second largest in the TCI chain. It is home to farming and ingenuity. Though removed from the capital, Grand Turk and the main economic hub of Providenciales, it is not that far away.
A short ferry ride now does it, and perhaps soon a 12-minute flight will make the connections to key domestic markets more seamless. As farming undoubtedly turns a significant corner and mounts up as a dominant priority for smaller nations given the negative effects of geo-politics and the merciless health crisis, country leaders are now forced to pay proper attention to agriculture.
In the rich ‘brown gold’ of North Caicos, there grows the products island children were raised on and nourished with; there grows the value and offerings of KacyDee Higgs’ Caicos Traditions
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC), local producers of Coca-Cola and Dasani products, is proud to once again support Basketball Smiles for their 27th year.
Upholding its corporate pillar of community outreach, CBC proudly donated $2,000, over 75 cases of Dasani, Powerade and Sprite, reusable
Powerade water bottles and numerous marketing materials.
The annual sporting summer camp offers free basketball and life skills training to Junior and High School students.
Basketball Smiles’ mission of developing leadership qualities while fostering children’s academic achievement and self-esteem aligns perfectly with CBC’s commitment to supporting and empowering youth.
Jazmin Darling, Assistant Marketing Manager for Caribbean Bottling Company shared why the company continues to support this program each year.
“At CBC, we believe investing in our youth is one of the greatest ways to strengthen our communities. We’re proud to support Basketball Smiles each year because it goes beyond the game. This program champions healthy lifestyles, positive values and brighter futures. It’s a privilege to play a role in helping these young athletes reach their full potential each year,” she shared.
Sam Nicholls, Basketball Smiles Camp President and Founder expressed.
“Caribbean Bottling Company is an incredible partner. We are truly grateful for their generous support, which will go a long way in making a positive impact on the lives of our campers,” Nicholls expressed.
CBC is always ready to lend its support toward initiatives and programs that uplift young Bahamians. The impact Basketball Smiles makes on the community is undeniable and is why CBC remains a historic sponsor.
For more information on sponsorship, events and new products, visit www.cbcbahamas.com today.
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Wines and Spirits (CWS), The Bahamas’ premier wine and spirits distributor is thrilled to once again lend its support to Transforming Spaces (TS).
CWS is a proud historical partner of the annual art week which highlights Bahamian art and art spaces. Under this year’s theme, “Chasing
Light” Transforming Spaces and Caribbean Wines & Spirits created a memorable art experience.
To mark 21 years of the upliftment and exposure of culture and Bahamian art, CWS offered award winning wines St. Francis, Rebellious, Bottega and Excellsior; premium spirits, Cross Keys Gin, El Tequileno Tequila, Angostura Rum and Nemiroff Vodka, along with the newly added Coors Light Beer from its portfolio.
To kickstart the annual art week, CWS delighted attendees with a tasting of globally renowned Bottega Wines at TS’ Poetry Jam, held at ICE Bahamas. Throughout the event, Bottega brand representatives shared tasting notes, ideal pairings, and insights into the brand’s portfolio.
During the highly anticipated Saturday and Sunday tours, CWS showcased its premium products at select art galleries.
Attendees enjoyed Rebellious and St. Francis wines at The Current: Baha Mar Art Gallery and Museum, Bottega and Excellsior wines at the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas, Coors Light beer at the University of The Bahamas Pro Gallery and hand-crafted Schweppes mixes featuring Cross Keys Gin, El Tequileno Tequila, Angostura Rum and Nemiroff Vodka at CAB Gallery & Studio.
Throughout the two-day tour, CWS product specialists enriched the experience by providing a deeper appreciation for their exceptional beverage portfolio.
Members of the Transforming Spaces Committee expressed their appreciation towards CWS’ support after another successful art week.
“Transforming Spaces is deeply grateful for the continued support of Caribbean Wines & Spirits over the years. Their partnership has become such an important part of the TS experience, helping us create welcoming and vibrant moments for our audiences across the tour weekend. From signature wines and cocktail bars to refreshments at gallery stops and pop-up events, their contribution brings an added sense of hospitality, celebration, and connection to the journey through Bahamian contemporary art.” — TS2026 Committee.
Caribbean Wines & Spirits is proud to partner with Transforming Spaces in supporting and elevating the voices and works of Bahamian artists and looks forward to strengthening this partnership for years to come.
To learn more about CWS’ involvement in the community, follow on social media @caribbeanwinesandspirits or visit the website at www.cwsbahamas.com today.
By Magnetic Media Newsroom
PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands — The Turks and Caicos Islands Government says the breakdown of its relationship
with InterHealth Canada presents an opportunity to reshape healthcare delivery, with plans to expand local medical services, strengthen primary care and reduce dependence on overseas treatment.
During a national briefing following InterHealth Canada’s notice terminating its hospital contract, Premier Charles Washington Misick acknowledged publicly for the first time that Government and InterHealth had been negotiating an exit from the arrangement for more than a year after what he described as an “irretrievably broken down” relationship.
Despite the contractual dispute, Misick and Health Minister Kyle Knowles stressed that healthcare services will continue uninterrupted during the transition.
“Allow us to do our job,” Knowles appealed, assuring residents that Government is actively managing the transition and safeguarding patient care.
The Premier outlined what amounts to a broader healthcare transformation built around four connected levels of care: strengthened community-based primary healthcare; expanded polyclinic services; enhanced hospital-based secondary care with greater specialist capacity; and overseas tertiary treatment only for cases that cannot be managed locally.
Among the proposals are the long-discussed establishment of intensive care units, expanded use of currently unfinished hospital space,
recruitment of more resident specialist physicians and stronger contract management to oversee future healthcare agreements.
Knowles said the new polyclinic model will broaden services available outside the hospitals, including dentistry, ophthalmology, laboratory services, diagnostic imaging, gynaecology and preventative screening, helping to reduce pressure on emergency departments while improving early intervention.
Misick also acknowledged that while the hospital system significantly improved healthcare access after opening in 2010, Government believes further reform is necessary to improve affordability, sustainability and the range of services available within the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The briefing marked the Government’s most comprehensive explanation to date of its plans beyond the InterHealth contract, signalling that officials now see the transition as an opportunity to redesign healthcare delivery rather than simply replace one operator with another.
-
Government1 week agoGovernment Outlines New Healthcare Vision as Interhealth Exit Accelerates Reform
-
News1 week agoPlanning for Tomorrow: Why Sustainable Communities Begin with Good Planning
-
Bahamas News1 week agoCaught in the Net, Not Accused of Wrongdoing
-
Bahamas News3 days agoCaribbean Bottling Supports the 27th Basketball Smiles Week
-
Bahamas News3 days agoCWS Supports Transforming Spaces with Premium Products and Unique Cocktails