Carlton Jaron Taylor II (Class of 2023, Bahamas) is the first EARTH graduate from his country. Now back in his home island, he understands better the environmental and food security challenges faced by his community, and he is beginning to work to address them. His “day job” as assistant to the head of a construction company is funding his new project, an egg production business. He is not only trying to address the problem of high-cost food in the Bahamas but applying the principles he learned during his time at EARTH.
“The majority of our food, including eggs, come from the US. At one point the price of eggs was $16 dollars a dozen. The Bahamas imports up to 90% of our food, and therefore quality isn’t fresh. The shipping makes a big carbon footprint. For my business, I had to import the chickens from another country, the vet supplies, the feed, even the irrigation tubing. There are no big farms here, so there’s little capacity to grow food and hire people. But I feel agriculture is a sector that a lot more people will soon take an interest in. We have to.”
Through his business, Carlton is also attempting to address some of the key environmental issues in the Bahamas, including poor soil quality and the damage caused by invasive species. Initially interested in marine biology, Carlton is passionate about the intersect between agriculture and protecting the environment. “We are on coral islands, so the soil is very alkaline. We have good sunlight, but the dry season can be intense. This year, 2025, is one of the driest years. Another serious problem we have is the introduction of invasive species. An ornamental pine is doing a lot of damage to the coastline and the native plants can’t compete. I go to the beach and collect the pine needles and use them for mulching and for laying in the hen pens. Instead of sawdust I’m trying to do my part to restore the coastline. I compost that material which again improves the soil. It’s about not extracting so much from the environment but from regenerating what we have. At EARTH we really focused on the importance of sustainability and environmental awareness.”
Carlton is positive about the future of his business. “I feel like I have my foot in the door, and I have a better start because of my education and connections at EARTH.” In five years, he sees himself as the head of a large egg business and working full time in the agricultural sector, implementing changes along the way to not be so dependent on export feed. “Everything is a cycle—everything is interconnected—we have to be intentional about how we do things. By developing the agricultural sector in the right way, we will also be able to protect our marine resources.”
Carlton looks back at his time at EARTH with thankfulness. “It’s amazing how you can be in a place with such good and brilliant people from all over the world. I was fortunate to be the first person from Bahamas to go there. That made the experience a bit more special to know I was able to make my mark and contribution. I grew up in a tourist-based economy, where it can be easy to overlook nature as just something pretty to look at. At EARTH we were taught to value nature as a whole, to work with what you have, and the understanding of how to do things in our particular environment. And that is what I’m hoping to do on my home island.”
We commend Carlton for his commitment to addressing the environmental and food availability challenges in his home country and wish him much success in his new endeavor.