SPECIAL FEATURE
Nicholas Kee
Nicholas Kee is a multi-hyphenate. He is the co-founder and CEO of Kee Farms, a regenerative ocean farm network focused on growing seaweed, oysters and other oceanic organisms with the aim of reducing greenhouse gases and increasing biodiversity in oceanic ecosystems. Prior to this, he was the co-founder and Executive Director of Next Gen Creators, a non-profit organization aimed at promoting software development, digital literacy skills employment and tech-entrepreneurship for youths in the Caribbean. Nicholas is also the Jamaica
Photo: Kee Farms
inventories, monitoring water quality parameters and quantifying carbon removal. Through rigorous testing and analysis, Kee Farms tracks its progress and continually strives to enhance its environmental footprint. Currently, all of this testing is done quarterly, but we are aiming for monthly by the end of 2024. At a high level, our biodiversity inventories are done through dive surveys as our marine biologists assess the number of fish, plants, and other marine life within a sample area over the course of time. We measure the water acidity, temperature and salinity with a “YSI” water test, the one-stop source for environmental water quality monitoring instrumentation, to track changes to each over time.
Finally, to calculate our carbon removal figures, we do a sample analysis and measure the amount of elemental carbon in the sample of seaweed. This allows us to measure the amount of carbon removed from the weight of the biomass. Thus far, we have noticed about a 10 percent increase in biodiversity and removed 3 tonnes of carbon. We are excited to see more of our impact as we scale up operations in the next 15 months. Competitive advantages Kee Farms possesses several competitive advantages that set it apart in the market: • Innovative business model: By empowering local communities and leveraging seaweed cultivation, Kee Farms ensures scalability and community involvement. • Unique geographical location: Situated in the Caribbean, Kee Farms benefits from optimal ocean conditions and access to specific seaweed species, enabling higher yields and diverse product offerings. • Intellectual property and product portfolio: With proprietary processes and a wide range of byproducts, including activated carbon and biochar, Kee Farms caters to multiple industries while actively restoring the environment.
Youth Ambassador to the Commonwealth, a UNICEF
U-Reporter, and a member of the World Bank Solutions for Youth Employment Coalition. Nicholas is an active community leader focused on AI Ethics & Regulations, Sustainable Development, and Digital Awareness & Literacy. He hopes to bring climate change action and mitigation to the forefront of the Caribbean so that its people can participate meaningfully in this circular blue economy.
“Thus far, we have noticed about a 10 percent increase in biodiversity and removed 3 tonnes of carbon”
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