EDITORIAL: Long-term plan for food security a must

Reports are that Ministers and Secretaries of agriculture, livestock, fisheries, food and rural development from 25 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, recently signed a declaration detailing measures to ensure that food is not lacking during this COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ministers and Secretaries agreed to inform public opinion about the measures they have taken and will continue to take, in order to ensure the supply of sufficient, safe food and nutrition for the 620 million consumers in the region. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, which reported on the endeavour, noted that it was agreed that currently, the region’s markets have enough food to ensure supplies, given that global stocks of major foods are at a good level, and harvests in major producing countries have been good.

However, it was noted that if the pandemic spreads over time, food supply chains will come under increased pressure. In this sense, all countries therefore need to strive to keep local, national, regional and global supply chains operating, so that we can ensure food in a sustainable way for the entire population. Further, the Ministers and Secretaries have committed themselves to act in co-ordination, exchanging information and good practices, and to adopt appropriate measures in accordance with the reality of each country.

Finally, the Secretaries and Ministers who signed the public declaration, with the support of the FAO and other multilateral organisations such as the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the World Food Programme (WFP), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), the Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA), and the International Regional Organisation for Agricultural Health (OIRSA), committed themselves to keep in touch and collaborate in all necessary measures to ensure that the 620 million Latin American and Caribbean people continue to have enough safe and healthy food every day at their tables.

Now this is a good initiative. Here in Barbados, we have seen that Barbadians, in the short term, have expressed concern about having an adequate food supply during the current curfew period and hence the need to set various shopping regulations in place, to ensure that they can go out safely during this COVID-19 pandemic and get what they need for their households. It would be nice to hear however what the long-term plan is going forward, to ensure this country’s food security in the future. It is time we become much more self-sufficient and can produce enough food on a long-term basis to supply the populace.

We must also encourage more and more Barbadians to provide for themselves and perhaps it is time we implement a programme that will motivate our citizens to establish more kitchen gardens at home. Those who can just step outside and pick local produce from their gardens must be smiling all now during this lockdown period. With a little creativity and with the best will, we can get it to work.