Malachi Troy Symonds, from the island of Bermuda, is not one to step away from a challenge. The 2019 EARTH graduate, well-known locally for his agronomy skills and gardening expertise, is working diligently to develop the agricultural capacity of his home country in a sustainable and environmentally conscious way.
It was the Garden Club of Bermuda that first saw Malachi’s potential, when he was awarded a scholarship to pursue agriculture overseas at EARTH. After graduating, Malachi returned to Bermuda and began working at a plant nursery. Eager to use the skills and expertise gained at the University, he soon left the job to start his own company. “One day my little sister said to me, ‘You’re just a farmer.’ And I thought, that’s the name of my new organization.” Just A Farmer started out as a half-acre plot for vegetable production, more of a market garden. As Malachi was focused on making sure the farm was sustainable, his team began to employ closed-cycle system practices such as using chickens as a source of fertilizer. Aside from producing eggs, the chickens, which eat vegetable waste, provided the manure needed to enrich the soil for crops. He then began making fertilizer with a biodigester. “I learned about the biodigesters while I was at EARTH. I was always focused on practices I could bring home. The biodigester was one of them.”
By minimizing waste and maximizing resource utilization by reusing and recycling inputs like water, nutrients, and organic matter within the system, producers like Malachi and his team are able to reduce reliance on external inputs, achieve lower costs, and foster healthier soil and ecosystems. In Bermuda, many people rely on high-cost import products, including food, so these kinds of practices can be the difference between success and failure.
“We wanted to promote this idea of Bermuda growing more of its own food,” Malachi explains further. “We’re a small island nation that imports 85-90 percent of what we eat. We are dependent on imported goods to survive. With little-to-no agricultural sector, promoting sustainable agriculture is key to Bermuda’s food and energy security future.”
Malachi and his team, including at one point two EARTH graduates, have faced obstacles along the way. At one point, they had to shut down the chicken coop operation. In addition, he feels that local farmers need much more support in finding land and in addressing the high cost of inputs. But he carries on with the work with steady determination, teaching courses on the benefits of organic farming, helping people with their home gardens, and successfully growing and grafting fruit trees in environmentally sustainable ways. He has also begun work with organic seedlings and has a successful orchard of over 1,000 trees on his property. Just A Farmer continues to offer nutrient-rich food to the community.
The hard work is paying off. Malachi has been recognized for his dedication and for his approach to agriculture with articles in various local newspapers. In 2023, he was part of a team of six Bermuda Youth Delegates who attended COP 28 (The United Nations Climate Change Conference) in Dubai. The group was the island’s first youth delegation to take part in a COP conference. Malachi recalls the event with excitement, “I met people who called themselves activists, and I realized, ‘I guess I’m an activist, too.’ They were down to earth, and humble, working for change in their communities around the world. They inspired me.”
EARTH has left its mark on Malachi’s approach to his life work. “I think the discipline stands out to me. We had to be awake early and go to the fields. We were pushed to get things done, to do well in the classes. It all motivated me to be successful. When I was working at the plant nursery and the seedling season came up, I ended up putting together a greenhouse with plastic and various things from around the workplace. EARTH gave me the motivation to just make things happen, to use what we have to find solutions. I learned how to manage a business, from the finances to the cost of production and maximizing production. I’m using all of this on my farm. EARTH not only gave me the technical tools I need. I gained so much interacting with people from all over the world. I feel like I have so many colleagues—my former classmates—who can help me.”
In a myriad of creative ways Malachi is leaving his mark on the promotion of sustainable agriculture in Bermuda. He is “just a farmer” who is making a big difference.