Self-sufficiency the way to go

It is clear that Barbados as a country needs to become more efficient in the area of food production.

Several calls have already been made in this area, given the nation’s burgeoning annual food import bill.

Now some persons may be quick to argue that we may not have adequate resources to become more self-sufficient, but I declare that is a myth. All it takes is a willingness on the part of locals to take steps in the right direction to grow their own food or at least support those who are all already producing food on a local basis. Too often we see instances where persons or agencies are allowed to import foods that can already be sourced here and it does put the local players in jeopardy. Given the rise of late in the price of various fast foods (I hope you have noticed the price increases) and the continuous price hikes at the level of our supermarkets as well, it behooves to try our hand at a little kitchen garden and to engage in some bartering with those who have produce that we may desire.

Our centenarians have long told us that ground provisions are better and hence, we should be clamouring for more cassava, sweet potato, breadfruit and pumpkin. Instead, however, we as a population lean more towards macaroni pie, hot dogs, burgers and chips. If it is flavour we seek, then we need more of our nutrition professionals and our chefs to produce recipes that can teach us how to make flavourful dishes, with our ground provisions. We must bring our creativity to the fore, when it comes to producing dishes we can enjoy. I certainly enjoyed a yam pie just the other day, made with the same perfection and love as a sweet potato pie, with toppings and it was quite delicious. Amazingly, my five-year-old who would normally scoff at any dish containing yam, couldn’t get enough and even requested more, when she was through with the first serving.

Now of late, we have been hearing a call for Barbadians to not only consume local foods such as ground provisions, but also more local fruits. Having lived in the country all my life, I must say it is foreign to me to fork out money to buy mangoes, dunks, cherries, plums, ackees etc. Now I understand not everyone has the privilege of stepping outside and picking mangoes, soursops, golden apples and other fruits we can find here. However, I do believe that if an effort is made to grow at least one of these trees on our property, when the issue of food security becomes more of a challenge in the future, we would all be on a better footing, as we could swap one fruit for another with our friends and neighbours. We would also be able to eat to our heart’s delight and not worry so much about the cost.

Being able to access to local fruits and vegetables from relatives who are doing their small bit at being self-sufficient, brings a good feeling. It feels good to drink soursop punch and golden apple juice, knowing it came from a local plot or to handpick cherries and guavas or even papayas knowing they are free of pesticides and chemical sprays. So indeed, I support recent calls for locals to grow more fruit trees and to plant and eat more local foods, as this will put us on a more self-sufficient footing and it will certainly help to decrease our mountainous food import bill.