Unity Through Nature
By Estenia Ortiz Carabantes
As the Strong Coasts cohort waited to catch Ritchie’s bus to Placencia, Belize that summery Friday afternoon, determined vendors passed by selling a variety of goodies such as tamales, tortillas, and mini seaweed shakes. This initial glimpse into Belize captured my attention as tamales and tortillas are a staple in my Floridian household. Even more exciting was seeing the seaweed shakes on the first day as my colleague, Michelle Henderson, and I were were responsible for focusing on seaweed farming in Belize while we were there!
For two weeks, we traveled by bus and chatted with the residents of Belize over rich cuisine overlooking a gorgeous landscape. The goal of this trip was for our team to explore interdependencies among food, energy, and water systems with coastal communities.
We spent the first week caye hopping, investigating how land practices impact marine environments, and deep diving into the ridge-to-reef approach. Moreover, visiting the seaweed farms at Little Water Caye and talking with seaweed guru, Mr. Lowell Godfrey (aka Japs), further demonstrated ideas of the blue economy. According to Mr. Godfrey, harvesting 75% of the seaweed grown at the farms leaves 25% to serve as starter for the next cycle. The seaweed acts as a nursery for marine life, including juvenile fish, conch, crabs, and spiny lobsters — all essential to local and international fishing industries.
Seaweed, after it has been washed on freshwater and then dried in the sun for about 24 to 48 hours, changes color from golden to white. Small crabs are individually removed during the drying process because they are difficult to shake off during the harvesting process.
We learned that persons on the Placencia peninsula have been innovating with this superpowered algae for food, skin care, hair care, and even for burns. Seaweed shakes in Placencia are a popular way to cool off after a long day on the water and are found in several restaurants along the peninsula, including the Shak and Brewed Awakenings. Sustainably farming seaweed has allowed for the thriving of many markets furthering its demand.
Belize taught me about the tradeoffs in food, energy, and water systems and the importance of community perspectives to provide robust context. We met people working at these intersections who are striving to be more sustainable. They have helped me to see the strong, valuable connections between natural and social systems. For instance, some are using their resources and cultivating crops only when they are in season. Their profound understanding of the environment allows new creativity and innovation to blossom. Moreover, this awareness and holistic thinking are engraved in their culture which continues to draw communities to lead various conservation efforts, protecting the beautiful scenery we enjoyed.
Overall, my goal as an engineer and researcher is to work alongside the community partners we met and provide extra support where possible. As I have learned more about the ways the community uses their resources, I have become more interested in improving the benefits of these systems through a food, energy, water nexus lens.
About the Author. Estenia Ortiz Carabantes is a 1st year Ph.D student in Environmental Engineering at the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa, FL. She received her BS in Environmental Engineering Sciences at the University of Florida (UF) in Gainesville, FL and her AA at Miami Dade College in Miami, FL. Estenia previously worked with understanding mercury capture using modified activated carbon and has served on several university executive boards involving outreach and STEM education. Her research interests include water quality, water reuse, sustainability, food-energy-water systems, food security, and human and economic development. Estenia’s current research focuses on the the food-energy-water nexus as it relates to residential food production. In order to combat urban food insecurity, she hopes to continuously examine existing green infrastructure and re-imagine their function through a cultural, educational, and engineering lens.
STRONG COASTS is supported by a National Science Foundation Collaborative Research Traineeship (NRT) award (#1735320) led by the University of South Florida (USF) and the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) to develop a community-engaged training and research program in systems thinking to better manage complex and interconnected food, energy, and water systems in coastal locations. The views expressed here do not reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.