Rural Renaissance in the U.S. Virgin Islands


 By Jerome L. McElroy
 Associate Professor of Economics
 University of Notre Dame

 In the post World War II era, the tourism growth and indus-
 trial diversification which have taken root in several small Carib-
 bean islands have inevitably been associated with noticeable
 declines in agricultural activity. The expanding and relatively high
Income opportunities offered by these two newly emerging dyna-
 mic economic sectors have invariably competed resources, especi-
 ally land and labor, away from traditional rural uses.

 The U.S. Virgin Islands is no exception to this general pat-
 tern. According to Table 1, during the two decades of most rapid
 expansion, 1950 to 1970, the number of farming units fell by 542,
 a loss greater than the total count of farms in existence in 1960
 (501). The proportion of-total land area in farm acreage declined
 from 74% to 24% over the same period. The absolute loss in farm
 acreage was approximately 42,000 with almost half of this decline
 occurring between 1964 and 1970. This period coincided with the
 most intense growth in tourism in St. Thomas/St. John, the estab-
 lishment of heavy industry in St. Croix, Amerada Hess and Harvey
 Aluminum (later Martin Marietta), and the phase-out of commer-
 cial sugar production. For example, the average acreage loss be-
 tween 1950-64 was 1,612 acres per year. In contrast, between
 1964-70 the average annual loss rate was 3,178, or nearly double
 the previous mean yearly decline.

 Furthermore, the loss in land used for crop raising -- gener-
 ally a very strong barometer of farm effort -- was more severe than
 the drop in grazing acreage. In the former case, harvested cropland
 declined from 5,564 acres in 1950 to only 737 acres in 1970, an
 87% less. In the latter case, grazing lands fell from 30,329 to
 7,583, a 75% decline. During the same time frame, the percentage
 of total labor force actively engaged in agriculture/fisheries drop-


ped from 20% to less than one percent. What is even a more
dramatic index of waning viability, the proportion of farm opera-
tors working 200 or more days off the farm increased from 28%
to 53 percent. This indicates that by 1970 agriculture in the Virgin
Islands had become not only a relatively insignificant sector but
also a secondary occupation and not a primary income source
for those few so engaged. For in 1970 more than half of the
farmers were spending two thirds of their time in off-farm pursuits.
Undoubtedly, this growing marginalization stemmed directly from
the economic adjustments and redeployment of resources required
by the two new export sectors of tourism and manufacturing in
conjunction with residential/commercial construction and a bur-
geoning local government.

 On the positive side, however, Table 1 also demonstrates the
remarkable rural resurgence which has taken place since 1970.
Although the causes of this expanded agricultural activity are as
yet unclear, the trends towards increased farm effort and produc-
tion are unmistakable. For example, total land area in farms rose
from 24% in 1970 to nearly 30% in 1978. The number of new
farms increased by 166, a jump of 78% over 1970. Total farm
acreage grew by approximately 4,000 acres or at an annual rate of
500 new acres per year. Acreage in harvested cropland rose by 60%
while grazing lands grew at a phenomenal 150% with over 1,400"
acres on the average being added each year between 1970-78.
Certainly this growth in pastureland represents a strong indication
of the livestock direction of recent agricultural growth. In addition,
increases in other measures of farm effort, while not as dramatic,
are nonetheless impressive. These include (see Table 1) visible
increases in mechanization (tractors and trucks) with an attendant
decline in the share of farms using hired labor, as well as growing
proportions of farms purchasing feed for livestock and poultry,
and purchasing fertilizer.

 The patterns of agricultural production closely parallel the


TABLE 1


MEASURES OF FARM EFFORT, 1950-1978


No. Farms
% Land in Farms
Acreage
 Harvested
 Grazing
% Operators
200 days off-farm
% Farms with:
 Tractors
 Trucks
 Electricity
 Piped Water
 Hired Labor
 Purch. Feed
 Purch. Fertil.


1950

 754
 73 5
62,113
5,564
30,329

 28.4

 1.7
 10.3
 (NA)
 (NA)
 45.2
 52.4
 2.5


1960

 501
 52.2
44,062
4,272
21,483

 46.5

 6.0
 26.3
 67.5
 32.1
 30.3
 24.8
 11.6


1964

 466
 46.8
39,539
5,134
19,611

 51.7

 9.9
 36.3
 90.1
 55.2
 36.7
 46.1
 18.8


1970

 212
 24.2
20,470
 737
 7,583

 52.8

 29.2
 51.4
 84.9
 77.8
 35.8
 52.8
 14.6


1975

 327
 29.2
24,703
 751
15,452

 34.2

 31.2
 69.1
 93.6
 76.1
 33.9
 67.3
 19.9


1978

 378
 28.9
24,397
1,184
18,929

 50.5

 28.6
 69.1
 91.0
 S86.2
 30.2
 66.4
 20.9


Source for this and other tables: U.S. Census, U.S. Department of Commerce, US.
 for 1959, 1964, 1969, 1975, 1978.


Census of Agriculture