The Cost of Living in the Age of Climate Change

By Alaina Mathew

After countless stressful hours of trying to figure out what my research topic would be, I was finally getting somewhere. Dr. Esprit helped in figuring out what I should focus on, and that was my Community; Salisbury.  My topic focuses on the economical impacts of climate change in the village of Salisbury, post hurricane Maria. I created a Google map and pinpointed various businesses and farming grounds that had been affected by the hurricane, and how it affected the community’s economic development. 

Throughout this semester, I have done additional readings relating to the topic and educating myself on agriculture. As Salisbury is a community built on farming, it was important for me to find out how the hurricane had affected crops. I have also partnered with a fellow intern on a new project. We have been doing extensive research on underground farming and how it can be beneficial to Dominica. With Dominica being reliant on agriculture, underground farming can create a more sustainable and only for us as it does not rely on sunlight and other natural factors to grow crops. With the use of hydroponic technology, we would not have to rely on seasons for producing crops. It also provides food for the country in the event of natural disasters. This would make the island self-sufficient, and not rely solely on ground crops and other plants. 

I have also been working with the ArcGIS software, and familiarizing myself with it. It had been a bit difficult in the beginning when it came to mapping specific locations, but it has gotten easier with time. It Is quite amazing to see how the work we have been throughout the semester (simple things like filling out addresses for a spreadsheet) link together and form a bigger picture. It was with this information that we were able to build these maps and locations on ArcGIS. 

I hope to continue working with my partners on our underground farming project because I believe that it could be very successful in Dominica and change the way in which we view agriculture. I will also continue working on the map on ArcGIS, and finishing up all assignments that I have been assigned.

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