Annual Agriculture Review 2008 - Government of Grenada

Why the Development of a Scientifically Sound and Sustainable Food Security Strategy, Programme and Policy
Can No Longer Be Left on the Fringes of Agricultural Priorities in Grenada?
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This crisis was inextricably linked to the
unprecedented high oil prices experienced
during the aforementioned period where
critical agriculture inputs of all types had
increased exorbitantly which resulted in the
eventual rise in food prices.
While high oil prices have been cited
as the main factor contributing to the
recent food crisis, it must be emphasized
that other factors such as climate change,
population explosion and drought may
have a more prominent effect on long term
food crisis. It is estimated that half of the
world’s population could face severe food
shortages by the end of this century as rising
temperatures shorten the growing season in
the tropics and sub tropics, increasing the
risk of drought, and reduce the harvests of
dietary staples such as rice and maize by 20
percent to 40 percent, according to a study
published in the Journal of Science.
Global warming is expected to affect
agriculture in every part of the world
but it would have a greater impact in the
tropics and sub tropics, where crops are less
able to adapt to climate change and food
shortages are already starting to occur due
to rapid population growth. It is therefore
incumbent on countries like Grenada to put
systems in place to ensure the sustainable
production of food to meet the demand of
its population and to lessen on the reliance
on food imports.
With the expectation that the world
population would double by the end of the
century, the need for food would become
increasingly urgent as rising temperatures
force nations to retool their approach to
agriculture, create new climate- resistant
crops, and develop additional strategies to
ensure an adequate food supply for their
people. One of the major challenges for
small island developing states like Grenada
is to critically look at ways of boosting its
food production capacity and to explore the
possibility at the same time, to grow some
crops intended for import substitution.
The recent food crisis can well be described
as a defining moment as far as it relates to the
prioritization of food security programmes
in developing and food vulnerable states like
Grenada. One of the tangible lessons learnt
from that experience, is that, no longer can
countries like Grenada take comfort in the
fact that food can be imported easily from
exporting countries. In the midst of the
recent crisis, many countries restricted the
export of food as a means of protecting the
food status of their own countries and this
obviously left many importing countries in
limbo.
From the foregoing discussion, it is not very
difficult to understand why the Government
of Grenada and indeed the Ministry of
Agriculture have intensified their efforts
recently in order to strengthen the island’s
food security status.
Government’s Intervention
In September 2008, Cabinet directed the
development of a comprehensive coherent
national response to the food security crisis
facing the island.
The Cabinet provided some guidance for
the national food security plan that would
be developed. Cabinet directed that the
national response must:
• Address the areas of, inter alia,
production, consumption and storage
• Provide coherence and coordination to
the work of the many Ministries and
State Agencies and the NGO’s and
private sector that work in these areas.
• Not subvert the existing markets and
the private sector and
• Ensure sustainability of the programmes
and activities designed and effected.
Cabinet has also taken the conscious
decision to appoint a Food Security
Committee, with membership from a
broad based multidisciplinary background.
The Committee is mandated to coordinate
and provide technical advice to the cabinet
on all matters related to food security issues
on the island.
It is important to point out that such a
decision by Cabinet to prioritize food
security is highly commendable taking into
account the fact that the decision came only
two months after the Government assumed
office.
Prior to 2008, the Ministry of Agriculture
had been implementing a food security
programme (as early as 2002). In contrast to
the new approach, the previous food security
programme was not as comprehensive and it
was not perpetuated by any crisis, thus there
was less urgency to commit resources and
develop policies to sustain the programme.
The past Government, nevertheless, must
be acknowledged for initiating such an
initiative at a time when food security was
not as fashionable and urgent as it is today.
It is worth noting that with Government’s
unwavering support, it is expected that any
food security plan developed would have
some degree of sustenance as it is expected
that Government will provide the resources
necessary to ensure that the island achieve
some degree of food security.
It is instructive to point out that the present
food security programme implemented by
the Ministry of Agriculture is funded by
the Government of Grenada and the Food
and Agriculture Organization (FAO). So
far about 2000 households have benefited
from a wide array of material and technical
services. The programme has been designed
to benefit marginalized families, resource
poor farmers, institutions such as schools.
The current programme is intended to
bring some relief to the poorer people in the
community but for a longer term and more
sustainable action, it is vitally important
that a food security plan is developed and
implemented.
Strategies to Address Food Security Issues
in Grenada
According to the 1996 World Food
Summit and the FAO, food security exists
when “all people, at all times, have physical
and economic access to sufficient, safe and
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