Collection of contributions received
Discussion from the 2nd August to the 15th of September 2011
Proceedings
2
Table of contents
Introduction to the Topic ...................................................................................................................... 3
Contributions Received ....................................................................................................................... 4
1) Winston R. Rudder, facilitator of the consultation ................................................................ 4
2) Leroy McClean ..................................................................................................................... 4
3) Ian Ivey ................................................................................................................................. 4
4) Yon Fernandez ..................................................................................................................... 5
5) Roosevelt King ..................................................................................................................... 5
6) Winston R. Rudder ............................................................................................................... 6
7) Cecilia Babb.......................................................................................................................... 7
8) Carl Roberts.......................................................................................................................... 8
9) Jethro T. Greene .................................................................................................................. 8
10) Carmen Dardano ................................................................................................................ 9
11) Winston R. Rudder, facilitator of the consultation ............................................................ 10
12) Ian Ivey ............................................................................................................................. 12
13) Winston R. Rudder, facilitator of the consultation ............................................................ 14
14) Grace Sirju-Charran ......................................................................................................... 14
15) King Roosevelt ................................................................................................................. 15
16) King Roosevelt ................................................................................................................. 15
17) Gary Mathieu .................................................................................................................... 15
18) Winston R. Rudder, facilitator of the consultation ............................................................ 17
19) Marisa Wilson ................................................................................................................... 18
20) Winston R. Rudder, facilitator of the consultation ............................................................ 19
21) Lennox Lampkin ............................................................................................................... 19
22) Winston R. Rudder, facilitator of the consultation ............................................................ 20
23) Emmet Murphy ................................................................................................................. 21
24) Winston R. Rudder, facilitator of the consultation ............................................................ 21
25) Caribbean Agricultural Research & Development Institute.............................................. 22
26) Winston R. Rudder, facilitator of the consultation ............................................................ 23
27) Final Wrap Up and Expression of Appreciation to All Contributors by Winston R. Rudder,
facilitator of the consultation ................................................................................................... 24
Proceedings
3
Introduction to the Topic
Welcome to the Online Consultation on the CARICOM Regional Food and Nutrition Security Action
Plan (RFNSAP) which opens on August 2nd and continues until September 15th 2011.
CARICOM, assisted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), recently
completed a Regional Food and Nutrition Security Policy (RFNSP) designed to secure the provision
of “... safe, adequate, nutritious and affordable food for the region’s inhabitants at all times,
thereby achieving food and nutrition security”. A Regional Food and Nutrition Security Action Plan
(RFNSAP) is currently being developed to implement the RFNSP.
This online consultation based on the draft RFNSAP seeks to gather the views and inputs of key
regional civil society partners in order to refine the strategies and actions proposed to address the
objectives of the Regional Policy. I invite you to read the draft Action Plan and provide your comments
and suggestions. Your views on whether it is an adequate framework for achieving regional food and
nutrition security are very important. A summary of this online discussion will be incorporated in the
finalized RFNSAP.
The following questions are a guide to stimulate, and not limit, the discussion.
Guiding questions
1) Do you consider that the draft RFNSAP adequately identifies and deals with the key
concerns affecting regional food and nutrition security? If not, what specific
suggestions would you propose?
2) How would implementation of the strategies and actions of the RFNSAP influence the
activities of your organization?
3) Implementation is often a challenge with regional and national plans. What are your
views about the implementation arrangements proposed in the RFNSAP? Are there
missing elements. If so, please identify.
4) Are you satisfied with the role identified for civil society in the RFNSAP? If not, what
specific ideas do you have?
I wish to thank you in advance for participating in this consultation. The feedback provided will be
highly valued in the finalization of the RFNSAP.
I look forward to constructive, interesting and rich discussions.
Winston R. Rudder – Facilitator
Proceedings
4
Contributions Received
1) Winston R. Rudder, facilitator of the consultation
A key priority area in the RFNSAP is increasing the availability of regionally produced nutritious food
to satisfy the requirements of the regional market. This involves the aoption of coordinated and
coherent approaches, taking on board and balancing the interests of all stakeholders along the entire
supply chain from the farmer to the consumer. The application of the value chain approach is seen as
an important initiative in making this happen. The relative strength, capability and negotiating skills of
the partners in the chain are considerations which will need to be examined and addressed for long
term sustainability and success of the intended approach. Of importance here is the readiness of the
national institutions - Ministries of Agriculture in particular - to review and adjust in light of the
implications of the value chain approach for changes in the way they function and deliver
development support. Dealing with the strengthening of smaller farmers' organizations must also be a
priority on the agenda.
2) Leroy McClean
The RFNSAP is long overdue and I am happy to see that provision is made for inputs from
stakeholders. However, the choices under the categories "Organizations" and "Constituencies" seem
limited and could exclude lay persons as myself who have to be creative in order to complete these
required fields. With respect to the actual plan, this requires some study. However, the first impression
is that it is somewhat "wordy" and does not provide some vital information in a readily accessable
way. For example: could there be a table(s) that would show: (a) CARICOM population - distribution
(rural/urban), by age, involvement in agricultural production; (b) Per capita nutrition requirements by
age group; (c) Food crops required to meet these nutritional requirements; (d) Available acreage and
resources for plant and livestock production. I am sure there are others that would be useful. Having
set out that information the plan could then show how we could utilize the available human, land and
other resources to meet the requirements for regional food security.
3) Ian Ivey
What tends to happen in the Caribbean is that people deal with many peripheral issues and fail to
grasp those which are fundamental. Agriculture in the region must be regarded as a business, use
modern systems of production and achieve high productivity within the constraints that prevail.
Extreme weather events affect every country in the world. The challenge is to develop systems that
minimise the impact of such extremes. Even in the Caribbean, some highly innovative very
commercial agriculturalists have been able to do this. Most agriculture in the region is archaic using
techniques that are far from modern. The cost of much locally produced food, as a result, is 50% 100% higher than in countries with modern unsubsidised agricultural sectors (e.g. in T&T compared to
New Zealand) It is unattractive to the vast majority of young people because existing policies
perpetuate 'peasant farming'. There is little technology and few modern comforts in Caribbean
agriculture. In small isolated countries like New Zealand agriculture is a modern hi-tech business.
That's what is needed here and what needs to be the primary focus of any policy. If, by using modern
techniques and providing modern infrastructure, agriculturalists make a return that is competitive with
other commercial sectors, then it will thrive. If not, it will continue to decline. This the primary focus of
any policy should be to modernise agricultural production and the value chain that connects with
consumers. That way food security will be improved and the value propositions for both consumers
Proceedings
5
and agriculturalists vastly improved. If the current policy deficiencies are not addressed (and this
proposed policy does not address modernisation, productivity and efficiency sufficiently) then little is
likely to change. It will just be another 'feel-good' document that is likely to gather dust on a shelf
somewhere.
We have a great deal of material highly relevant to this theme developed here in the Caribbean.
4) Yon Fernandez
Any effective Action Plan needs to have mechanisms in place to include the opinions and voices of
key players in the society. In this case, being a Regional Action Plan for the Food and Nutrition
Security Policy of the CARICOM countries, it is important to design fora where Civil Society, working
at the regional level can influence the implementation of the Action Plan. This will ensure not only
effectiveness but also the inclusiveness of the most disadvantaged groups in the food security
actions. In the brink of food price volatility, the adequate blend of regional actions and policies
favouring commercial agriculture and those promoting family farming, will ensure a better level of food
security for all. The CARICOM countries present a series of unique opportunities linked to their
resources, geographic position and cultural heritage, that positions them in and advantageous
situation vis-a-vis other countries in the region. For these countries to make the most out of these
opportunities, it is important to have the full support and ownership of the policies by their citizens as
well as their active participation in them. Lastly, regional actions plans are important since they allow
the later articulation of National action plans and national food and nutrition security policies. These
two complement each other in the path towards food security for all and poverty reduction in the
region.
5) Roosevelt King
The problem with papers like these is that they do not address the detail. 2011 is the International
Year for People of African Descent (IYPAD) and the main theme for BANGO is health, nutrition and
food security. Certainly you can't separate the three. This theme contemplates involving all people,
from backyard farming and cottage industry to mass production of food. It speaks to an educational
campaign debunking the myths that have us in this insecure position. There are some things which
consumers should know, for example, that the best food is fresh food and that which is grown in your
own country. Importation of fresh food ought to be a no-no because the time lapse will render the food
as "not nutritious" because veg lose their potency in a few days. Backyard farming is the best way to
supplement food production and ease consumer demand. It is also a way that householders can save
on the cost of food as we did in the past; albeit when we had no money to speak of and was forced to
grow our own. Here we not only save in the household but this has a net effect on reducing imports.
GM Foods and all these processed foods which contain no natural enzymes and create a strain on
the human body to digest is of great concern. Consideration must be given to cultural impacts and
resultant shifts in attitudes, where our children have lost the understanding of what is good food. The
sweets, fast foods and snacks which our children consider as food is a good example of how we have
corrupted our sense of good food. We have listened to those who have used the argument of
"Comparative Advantage" to cause us to shut down our production processes and lose our
technology, making us dependent on large corporation for our food, which comes at a price beyond
what you pay for them. We don't know what is in the food we are eating today. The next concern is
the amount of drugs on the market. We eat the food, get sick and then they supply the drugs that are
supposed to counteract the sickness. Personal health is not a certainty anymore. It is like Russian
Roulette where there is always a bullet somewhere lurking to end your life. The long lines at doctors
Proceedings
6
offices; the productive man-hours lost; the hours that school children miss because of sickness; our
children have no stamina, etc. Of course, the greatest challenge is countering the propaganda which
the profiteers put out there to entice consumers and give them confidence in processed products. For
example, corn flakes is promoted as cereal, when it is not... and too many people feel that KFC is a
good lunch. The problem is that we have integrated all these things into our economy and will have
great difficulty getting rid of them for healthy alternatives. Whatever happens we must tell our people
that good food is the best medicine. Another matter is the hybrid seeds which farmers have to buy for
every crop is an added expense. We must return to organic seeds and build several seed banks
within the region so that farmers can save their seeds for planting. We must further attempt to protect
the indigenous fruits and herbs before they are corrupted by the profiteers seeking new revenue
streams. We still have Golden apple, sugar apples, soursop, breadfruit and some others which have
not been modified and we must seek to protect these from exploitation. Coconut water for example is
set to be the next power drink in the USA moving to a multi-million dollar industry in just a year.
Finally, free trade is the final straw in making us totally dependent. Our only weapon against this is
consumer education. Furthermore, any capacity building should contemplate facilities in each country
that will research the nutritional and medicinal value of our plants as well as to equip small scale
production on a cooperative basis. Foremost, capacity building must include a large investment in
making findings widely available. This includes investment in technology, especially to equip the
region with the necessary bandwidth for simple uses and for reaching remote areas. What we have is
an effective monopoly situation which seeks to milk the most money from the least investment. This is
holding us back as a region by rendering us "not competitive enough" because we are without the
capacity for high volume flows of information. Food Security has many aspects but the IYPAD Global
team, founded and led by BANGO, started to look into the most obvious issues, given the urgency.
The areas being acted on are:
1) Farming/Agriculture; systems and techniques
2) Agro-processing
3) Distribution of produce
4) Distribution of Organic Seeds
5) Establishment of Standards and Practices for growing, selling, processing and packaging produce.
However, there is much more to food security such as: • Protection of crops (larceny); • Protection of
stores (accidental or malicious damage); • Finance; • Disaster planning; • Irrigation; • Water; • Pest
control; • Fertilizing; • Nutrition content/quality; • Health; • Energy; etc.
http://iypadcentral.igloocommunities.com/iypad_groups/groups_by_activity/food_security_task_force/f
oodsecuritystrategies
6) Winston R. Rudder
Comments made thus far on the Regional Food and Nutrition Security Action Plan (RFNSAP) are very
encouraging and confirm the value of this e-Consultation. They are deeply appreciated and we look
forward to the further contributions in this continuing discussion.
Just to remind that the RFNSAP is based on the Regional Food and Nutrition Security Policy
(RFNSP) adopted and approved by the CARICOM Council for Trade and Economic Development in
October, 2010. The RFSNP aims to achieve four overarching food and nutrition security objectives:

Food Availability: promote the sustainable production, processing, preparation,
commercialization ad consumption of safe, affordable, nutritious, high quality Caribbean food
Proceedings
7



commodities/products. This includes food, agricultural, rural, infrastructural development, land
use and trade issues.
Food Access: ensure regular access of Caribbean households, especially the poor and
vulnerable, to sufficient quantities of safe, affordable, quality food at all times, particularly in
response to diverse socioeconomic and natural shocks. Prices, incomes, agricultural public
health, food safety and social development issues are covered.
Food Utilization/Nutritional Adequacy: improve the nutritional status of Caribbean people
especially with respect to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including diabetes,
hypertension, overweight and obesity. Healthy lifestyle choices from early childhood education, health, nutrition and social welfare issues are the major considerations.
Stability of Food Supply: improve the resilience of the region’s national communities and
households to natural and socioeconomic stresses. Research and development, information
and early warning systems, disaster preparedness and management, and adaptation to
climate change issues are included.
The development goal of the RFNSAP is to contribute to ensuring long-term food security of
CARICOM Member States. Guided by this and the four specific objectives indicated above, the Draft
RFNSAP proposes a comprehensive package of interventions, involving the community of public and
private sector stakeholders acting in concert. It is the framework for elaborating detailed activities to
be undertaken at regional and national levels. The draft affirms the relevance of the main issues
raised by the commentators so far, including: the cultural dimensions of food (as part of consumer
education and food utilization); wider stakeholder participation in food policy and planning processes
(including disaster preparedness and risk reduction); increasing agricultural modernization,
productivity and efficiency through research and development and the wider application of
technology; enhancing support for commercialization of the agricultural and food sector by adopting
and applying agribusiness approaches; and the critical importance of coordination and coherence
within and across diverse national and regional institutions.
The RFNSAP is also very clear that in dealing with food and nutrition security, specific attention must
be placed on the most vulnerable groups (small producers – farmers, fishers etc; women; children and
the differently-abled) to ensure their sustainable livelihoods.
Winston R. Rudder
Facilitator
7) Cecilia Babb
CPDC members are NGOs located across all the language groupings of the Caribbean region. The
policy and action plan are extensive. While there will always be differences in the areas of emphasis
based on sector (private, public, civil society) location, constituencies and methods of work, the
majority of the pertinent issues are recognised and mentioned in the documents. My two overarching
comments are about the communications strategy and the role of civil society in the implementation of
the policy and action plan. 1. Communications strategy - the policy and action plan has to be shared
publicly in a way which encourages each consumer to embrace its goals as their own. Civil society
has considerable capabilities with the diverse methodologies of public education needed to achieve
this. Public education that focuses on technical information only will make little inroads into changing
the food choices of 95% of consumers because we eat for the pleasure of the experience more than
for nutritional value. There are cases of available nutritious food going to waste because it does not
appeal to perceptions of social status and the taste buds of consumers. 2. Civil society must be
Proceedings
8
contracted to carry out a range of implementation roles in this policy and action plan; inclusive of
production, processing, distribution, research, communications. The Rastafari community has
consistently advocated its commitment to food production and nutrition; and has demonstrated the
benefits by its health profile over the past two generations. Rural populations can be incentivised to
produce; store, process, distribute food. Indigenous populations have traditional knowledge of food
storage and weather patterns which can be harnessed. Small farmers have been the preservers of
local foods - fruit trees, herbs, and ground provisions in particular. Women as full time and part-time
producers of domestic food are an important target group within each of the 4 constituencies named
above. The role of civil society should include dialogue, implementation and evaluation.
8) Carl Roberts
Whenever I think of food security I am forced to ponder on the vulnerable of our region in light of
catastrophes. As a region each of our islands experience natural disasters and events that make us
always at high risks. In light of these factors and the variables in experiences, our two seasons (wet
and dry) affords us the options to always be on the lookout for a shortage, and/ or limited supply of
food should a disaster arise. With such a rich history of seasonal changes and catastrophic events
that affect the livelihood and daily experiences of our Caribbean people, a lack of affordable
comprehensive crop and livestock insurances has forever been a challenge for the folk who need it
most. Dispute the advances in technology and engineering, there seems to be a lost in linkage to the
"common folk agricultural science/ back yard farming" as existed in years past. Just about two
decades ago, food security for the extended and nuclear family-allowed a daily balanced meal to the
family table, constituting of at least 80% coming from the family plot and the other 20% from some
other sources. In 2011, the back-bone of Caribbean economies and particularly the windward islands
are overwhelmingly Agricultural. This implies that our policies should be groomed to encourage all
stake holders to think and act agricultural The regions future lies in the guts of our people. We can
only teach our children to be food secure when we empower them with the right tools and provide a
real appeal for what we produce as a region; after all we are what we eat. Whenever, we decide not
to feed ourselves properly or even (as forced by an adapted fictional foreign cultural- a dreamworld as
displayed in a 60 min movie) relying totally on something or someone to feed us, we are neglecting
our fundamental duty as free human beings -the right to our independence. We must increase Fair
trading inter regionally and extra regionally, at the same time, we must use our resources to their
fullest potential. With cottage scale and large scale agro processing industries, as appropriate to
locality, We have to make use of the raw materials that goes to waste which otherwise could be
stored and preserved for the low supply season. In light of vulnerabilities, the concept of "rejected
produce" must be taught of carefully. "The stone a builder rejects becomes the chief corner stone" In
other words, When a banana which has one spot of stain is not suitable to enter a foreign market,
there are 6.3 million people in the Caribbean who cannot afford to buy the said banana living under
poverty lines, and would settle for the banana skin, which sometimes feed an entire family of six. The
message is we need to help ourselves more and to use our Independence to become more self
reliant and efficient as we seek to be food secure. I am very very pleased to see the level of
discussion on this matter at this critical period in the history of the Caribbean region.
9) Jethro T. Greene
Dear All, CaFAN has had representation on the Regional Food and Nutrition Security Policy by its
Chief Coordinator, Mr. Jethro Greene. It is part of CaFAN’s mandate to get membership feedback and
therefore all documents have been circulated to CaFAN members where their comments and views
Proceedings
9
were incorporated into a CaFAN position papers. Several of the short term measures included in the
policy document which we consider low hanging fruits that have been pushed as part of the action
plan proposed by CaFAN. For example, promoting food and nutrition security by encouraging chefs
and schools through their school feeding programmes and food and nutrition classes, and also
encourage persons in urban areas to get involved in agriculture through simple backyard gardens so
that the general population is sensitized. CaFAN has also proposed rural modernization as a key pillar
for overall agriculture development and sustainability. The document proposed by CaFAN is available,
and thus far our members have gotten a fair hearing on the policy and are satisfied with the inclusion
of our ideas since we proposed that food and nutrition security is just not the business of farmers and
ministries of agriculture, but everyone. We are quite satisfied and must applaud CARICOM and
FAO/GTFS project for taking a participatory approach in the development of the policy and action
plan. At the recent CaFAN working at Guyana, a decision was made to for all of CaFAN members to
work with their food and nutrition councils to help promote agriculture and regional food and nutrition
security. CaFAN is now in the process of initiating a project of linking agriculture to food and nutrition
with support from its partners like CFNI. We are also developing a project of linking small farmers to
markets through a regional integrated production and marketing planning project. The draft outline of
these projects is being debated by CaFAN membership and we hope this will be approved and
flushed out by end of August and September 2011 respectively. We applaud the effort of wider
consultation and will do what ever we can to help.
Yours in Development,
Jethro T. Greene
Chief Coordinator
CaFAN
10) Carmen Dardano
Below some comments by FAO’s Nutrition and Consumer Protection Division (AGND)
AGND proposed to add the following parts (in green) to the outline:
Excerpt from the CARICOM Regional Food and Nutrition Security Action Plan (RFNSAP)
Action Area 3: Food Utilization/Nutritional Adequacy (p.19)
Action Programme 7.1
Activity 7.1.2 Development of national dietary goals (for macro and
with the regional dietary goals.
micronutrients) in
line
Activity 7.1.3 Development of food-based dietary guidelines for each of the member
different sectors of the population (children, adolescents and pregnant women).
countries for
Activity 7.1.4 Define, in line with the dietary goals, behavioural and cognitive goals to
changes in the population.
encourage
Activity 7.1.5 Review and update the food- based dietary guidelines every five year for
member country.
each
Proceedings
10
a.
Encouragement of healthy and nutritional food choices for adolescents (with an
emphasis on girls and particularly pregnant and breast feeding girls)
Action Programme 7.3:
Activity 7.3. Strengthen food security and nutrition education for primary school students
and their families.
Activity 7.3 Integrate garden-based learning into the national school curriculum and
strengthening food security and nutrition for primary grade one to six
Activity 7.3.4:
Activity 7.3.4: Implementation of nutritional awareness-raising campaigns; support to school feeding
programmes, restructuring of agricultural curricula to include importance of nutrition and food security
11) Winston R. Rudder, facilitator of the consultation
Response to Leroy McClean
Dear Mr McClean,
Your contribution to the e-Consultation on the RFNSAP is deeply appreciated.
It is true that we were especially targeting the regional civil society organizations. However, it was
never intended to discourage contributions from concerned individuals like yourself. Your point about
the inclusion of critical data sets to facilitate clearer understanding of the background and context is
noted and will be forwarded to the drafters.
We look forward to any more specific comments you may have that could improve the content of the
Plan, particularly in respect of implementation which has been a bugbear affecting implementation of
regional agricultural development initiatives for so long.
With kind regards
Winston R. Rudder
Facilitator
Response to Mr. Ian Ivey
Dear Mr. Ivey,
Your comments on the draft RFNSAP are deeply appreciated.
It is agreed that in order to set an appropriate context for taking action on food and nutrition security in
the Caribbean, the policy issues you raised must be addressed. Perhaps, these are not elaborated in
sufficient detail, but a close reading of the RFNSP would indicate a recognition of the importance of
treating with“… modernization, productivity and efficiency …” issues to effect the required
transformation of the regional food and agricultural sector. Similarly, the RFNSP does speak to the
need for building resilience to the recurring threats to food and nutrition security posed by climate
change and natural disasters through the establishment of a Regional Information and Early Warning
Proceedings
11
System for Food and Nutrition Security, the construction of risk profiles for the region’s main crops in
support of emergency preparedness, agricultural risk management and agricultural insurance.
Nevertheless, a closer look will be undertaken to ensure that these matters are adequately covered.
We look forward to any more specific comments you may have that could improve the content of the
Plan, particularly in respect of implementation which has been a critical constraint on the realization of
regional agricultural development initiatives.
With kind regards
Winston R. Rudder
Facilitator
Response of Roosevelt King
Dear Mr. King,
Your contribution to the e-Consultation on the RFNSAP is deeply appreciated. The comments will be
particularly useful in elaborating details of the interventions and activities to be undertaken at regional
and national levels.
There is no disagreement that health, nutrition and food security are integrally linked. Indeed, the
intent is that the policies, strategies and actions must address these in a comprehensive way.
Similarly, we accept your prudent advice that in moving forward, we must take stock and proceed
from where we are.
We look forward to any further comments you may have on issues related to the implementation
aspects of the Action Plan.
Once more, please accept our thanks and best regards.
Winston R. Rudder
Facilitator
Response to Carl Roberts
Dear Mr. Roberts,
Thanks for your contribution to the e-Consultation on the RFNSAP. Your words of encouragement are
deeply appreciated.
We fully agree with your observation on the need to build and strengthen resilience to natural
disasters and to incorporate risk reduction strategies in the approaches to increase regional food and
nutrition security. Your advice that the region should more fully explore the potential of locally
produced commodities to meet its food and nutritional requirements is very prudent.
We look forward to any further comments you may wish to make, particularly on the implementation
aspects of the action plan.
With kind regards
Winston R. Rudder
Facilitator
Response to Cecilia Babb
Dear Ms. Babb,
Proceedings
12
We thank you for the pertinent comments in your contribution to the e-Consultation on the RFNSAP.
The extensive coverage of the CPDC membership across the region and the considerable capabilities
of civil society in a variety of implementation roles (public education, production, distribution etc) will
definitely be of tremendous value in achieving the objectives of the RFNSP and RFNSAP. Your
commitment in this regard is noted.
We look forward to any further comments you may wish to make in respect of the implementation of
the RFNSAP.
With kind regards
Winston R. Rudder
Facilitator
Response to Jethro T. Greene
Dear Jethro,
We are grateful for your contribution to the e-Consultation endorsing the RFNS and RFNSAP as
important instruments for promoting regional food and nutrition security. It underscores the
commitment of CaFAN as a strategic partner and key stakeholder in this important endeavour.
We appreciate that the comments and views of the extensive CaFAN membership were canvassed
and incorporated during the process of drafting the RFNSAP.
However, as the end of the period for this e-Consultation draws near, we extend the opportunity for
any further comments and observations CaFAN may wish to make, particularly with respect to the
implementation aspects of the Action Plan.
Once more, please accept our thanks and kind regards
Winston R. Rudder
Facilitator
Response to Carmen Dardano
Dear Carmen,
The contribution FAO’s Nutrition and Consumer Protection Division (AGND) to the e-Consultation on
the RFNSAP is deeply appreciated. The specific comments are noted and will be brought to the
attention of the drafters.
Please do not hesitate to forward any further observations you may have with respect to the
implementation aspects of the Action Plan.
Once more please accept our thanks and kind regards.
Winston R. Rudder
Facilitator
12) Ian Ivey
Thank you for your comments Winston.
I was brought up in New Zealand and worked in the agricultural and horticulture sector there for 28
years –as a producer, industry consultant and an agribusiness investment analyst and portfolio
manager in Australia and New Zealand. I am used to hi-tech agriculture built around high efficiency,
systems approaches, value adding and complete value chain structures. These are areas that have
Proceedings
13
not been developed here in the region to any significant extent and which are hindering sector
development. In my view there is too much emphasis on the social aspect of agriculture and not
enough on the business aspect. If the sector thrives from the business perspective, then there will be
social benefits – and that’s a paradigm shift in thinking that I think is required as a main thrust of any
policy. It doesn’t mean that other initiatives are not of value, but they need to be pursued within an
overall balanced context.
In my view the only ways of achieving greater food security in the region are;
•
To encourage highly efficient agricultural production and delivery systems that operate at the
least cost and thus supply food at internationally competitive prices (positive).
•
To develop key alliances and contractual relationships within and outside the region to develop
the least risk, highest resilience food supply systems (positive).
•
To put up trade barriers and introduce agricultural subsidies – which will mean local consumes
will pay much more than global prices for most types of food – which is essentially the case now –
and increase poverty (negative).
The proponents of the latter always bring up the issue of agricultural subsidies that countries such as
the EU, USA, Japan, Korea, Sweden and Switzerland use to support their local sectors. But what they
don’t say is that these sectors are highly inefficient and result in consumers paying more for food than
they should. For example, I lived in Switzerland for 3 years where farmers get 70% of their income
from subsidies and support measures. However, in spite of all these subsidies Swiss consumers pay
some of the highest prices for food in the world. The same applies in Japan and Sweden. There are
export subsidies for major commodities, such as grains and dairy, that distort world markets. But
these apply only to a few discreet sectors. Outside of these areas there are huge opportunity areas –
but there needs to be a shift in focus to ‘accentuate the positive’ and ‘eliminate the negative’. Why try
to develop agriculture in areas where such competitive distortions take place? Why not focus on the
areas where there are local and regional strengths and such distortions are of less or no relevance?
That is one of the reasons agriculture in NZ still delivers 60% of national export revenues – because it
has become more niche and value adding focused. In 1984 the country was essentially bankrupt
because it was doing precisely the opposite – subsidizing loss making commodity agricultural
production to the point where the country almost ran out of overseas reserves. Today the sector
thrives with no subsidies and has been doing so for at least 15 years - after the need to transition
away from old models to new modern models was grasped. It is still not perfect by any means but it is
evolving in the right direction.
One of the key planks in NZ has been the development of strategic international partnerships and
alliances that reduce global risks, secure niche market positions, and strengthen the ability to deliver
to customer’s needs ‘any time any place’. New Zealand is a tiny largely mountainous country located
a very long way from major markets and has a small population of just over 4 million people. It also
suffers major disasters – earthquakes and extreme weather events – everything from tropical
cyclones to big freezes, floods to droughts, severe wind storms, hail storms and high UV light (which
damages plastics and literally ‘cooks’ a percentage of crops in the field). But ways of coping have
been developed over many years. It’s called ‘risk management’ – something that for us as
agriculturalists was one of our first considerations – putting in extensive underground drainage and
pumping systems to reduce the impacts of flooding, irrigation to cover drought periods, shelter belts to
protect against extreme wind events, using structures to grow crops on (e.g. T-bar systems and
trellises) to anchor tree and vine crops and help them withstand weather extremes, including
‘sunburn’, plus facilitate mechanized management, hail nets (to prevent damage from hail storms –
which generally cause total crop loss plus carry over effects into a second season), the use of dwarf
trees to reduce wind sail area and tree losses in storms, the use of protected agriculture, etc. There
are many was to reduce risk which can be used, even in hurricane-prone areas. I have had long
Proceedings
14
discussions with Guido Marcelle, the former Produce Chemist in Grenada, who has a great deal of
knowledge about hurricane proofing agriculture in the region. Goodfellow Farms in The Bahamas has
built a very successful business using highly innovative relatively low-tech risk management
techniques to stay in business in the face of extreme weather events.
All the answers to the region’s agricultural challenges already exist - either here in the region or in
other small countries that have had to undergo a major sector restructuring process. What is needed
is a proper policy, leadership in the sector, investment in education and R&D, and a serious
implementation strategy (along with empirical targets and individual accountability) to take agriculture
towards a 2020 future rather than one that still has most of its roots way back in the past. Most
agriculture in the region is simply highly inefficient ‘peasant farming’. Hence the poor productivity and
high costs of much ‘home-grown’ food.
I have been working in the region since 2005 and have lived here since 2007. I have attached a
presentation I made as a guest speaker at a session organized by CARDI in March 2010 that
provides a bit of background to some of the issues I think are important. I have also attached a copy
of a recent EU format CV I put together for another project so that you have an idea of my experience
and credentials.
Kind regards
Ian
13) Winston R. Rudder, facilitator of the consultation
Dear Ian,
Yours of 26th instant together with attachments truly provides an analysis and perspective which are
extremely useful for treating with the challenges confronting regional food and nutrition security and
indeed agricultural development writ large. Please accept my appreciation for the time and intellectual
energy expended if more fully exploring the issues of concern.
I propose to share these detailed observations with the drafters of the RFNSAP for their
consideration.
Looking forward to your continued involvement and interest in the unfolding developments related to
the finalization of the Action Plan.
With kind regards
Winston R. Rudder
Facilitator
14) Grace Sirju-Charran
A welcome initiative- I just want to endorse the teaching of Agriculture and Nutrition in schools and to
take into account the traditional knowledge and practices of farmers while acknowledging the need for
improved technology, as two important components of this plan.
Proceedings
15
15) King Roosevelt
A right to good food should also mean a right to access good food. A right to good food should be
interpreted to mean that no corrupted, adulterated or otherwise unhealthy foods should be on sale. If
we speak about choice, that choice should not include food that will damage the body in the
comprehensive way that over-processed foods have taken their toll on human health. Processing
need not be as deadly as it is right now. Walk into any grocery store or variety shop and you will see
that apart from the fresh vegetables, the peas and the beans, everything processed thing in that
grocery is adulterated and not fit for human consumption. How then do we achieve the right to good
food?
16) King Roosevelt
40 - 50 years ago, who would have thought that burning a bit of stuff in your backyard would have
been life threatening to anybody? On this evening's news I heard the Minister of Health speak about
introducing legislation to counter the "indiscriminate" burning of stuff. It was at this point that I realised
that we really have the bull by the tail. After imbibing the unhealthy foods and becoming sick and
vulnerable, we then pass laws to prevent what would have been normal ways of keeping the
environment clean as practiced for hundreds of years and stigmatising it by calling it "indiscriminate".
Now we are told to leave the garbage to harbour vermin if the collection truck does not come around.
Which threat is worse? The argument about the pollution of the environment is very funny too. We
drive around these vehicles that pollute the atmosphere, spewing carbon dioxide into the air nearly 24
hours per day and then want to punish an individual that burns a little stuff that will contribute less
than 0.001% to environmental pollution. Our governments continue to pump millions of dollars into
acquiring drugs for health care rather than spend a few pennies trying to find medicinal cures and
treatments from our own plants and herbs that can save the millions or at best, put the millions to
better use and by doing this we may even create an economic advantage which could be exploited.
We have doctors trained in western medicine who would criticise and scoff at alternative medicine,
rather than embrace it and put their knowledge to better use by joining the effort to enhance
alternative medicine and quickly turn around the folly. Like we would rather the population remain
unhealthy so certain people can profit?? Health, nutrition and food security must also tackle these
issues. It must address the problems and prevent us from punishing the symptoms. It also includes
adopting a policy of disallowing profiteers from accumulating wealth at the expense of creating long
term threats to the society and then spend millions of taxpayers money trying to repair/minimise the
damage. Is this not the height of irresponsible political leadership?
17) Gary Mathieu
Au nom de la Coordination Nationale de la Sécurité Alimentaire, je salue l’initiative de doter la Région
Caraïbes d’un Plan Régional pur la Sécurité Alimentaire et Nutritionnelle
Réponse 1. Je crois que certains aspects clés concernant la sécurité alimentaire de la Région ont été
ignorés :
1. La question démographique. Les taux d’accroissement démographique sont assez élevés
dans la Région, cela pourrait nuire au développement de l’Agriculture, a la maitrise des
programmes devant faciliter l’accessibilité des ménages aux biens alimentaires et surtout
nuire `a la gestion des terres productives
Proceedings
16
2. La question environnementale n’est pas assez développée. Ils perçoivent l’environnement
dans un contexte de changement climatique et de gestion des désastres naturels mais rien
n’est dit sur les programme de protection de l’environnement dans un contexte de faciliter la
stabilité des capacités productives
3. La gestion des crise alimentaires soit dues aux catastrophes naturelles ou `a l’augmentation
des prix n’est pas approfondie et développé
4. L’aspect genre n’est pas abordé alors qu’il est crucial pour certains pays comme Haiti ou la
République dominicaine
5. L’éducation devrait être un axe important et transversal
6. Le Droit `a l’alimentation est abordé mais rien n’est dit sur l’atterrissage de ce concept si
complexe
7. Pourquoi pas une politique stratégique qui rejoint les objectifs de l’Initiative Amérique latine et
Caraïbes Sans Faim en 2025 avec des actualisations chaque 2 ou 3 ans. Ainsi on aurait eu
un plan de 14 ans avec des actualisations périodiques
8. Pas de propositions concrètes pour une politique fiscales et commerciales devant faciliter les
échanges inter pays
Réponse 2. La CNSA est l’Organe Etatique responsable de la Coordination des actions de sécurité
alimentaire en Haiti. Une intégration régionale permettrait de partager l’expérience que nous avons
dans le suivi des programmes de sécurité alimentaire et la coordination inter institutionnelle. Nous
venons d’élaborer le Plan National de Sécurité Alimentaire et Nutritionnelle ( PNSAN) pour le pays.
Réponse 3. L’implémentation de ce plan va se heurter `a certains grands défis : 1. L’adaptation des
politiques nationales de sécurité alimentaire 2. L’intégration d’Haiti ou la République dominicaine
alors que toutes les structures de la CARICOM sont adaptés aux pays de la caraïbes anglophone 3.
Les mécanismes de suivi national et régionale ne sont pas définis pour suivre l’exécution et les
performances du Plan 4. Le financement d’une telle politique régionale
Réponse 4. Le rôle de la Société Civile n’est pas bien défini. Il faut dépasser les limites d’une Société
Civile composée seulement ‘organisations mercantiles. O`ù sont les Associations paysannes, les
coopératives. Globalement le Plan donne l’impression d’un exercice académique. Les lignes
directrices doivent être transformées en programmes et en projets. Les Organisations du type CFNI,
UWI, CARDI ont un rôle important `a jouer alors que rien n’est dit des Institutions nationales qui ont la
charge de la gestion au niveau nationale. L’idée de la mise en place d’un observatoire régional et des
observatoires nationaux de sécurité alimentaire Les premiers chapitres sont confus. Rien n’est dit de
la vision et des résultats `a atteindre en terme de réduction de l’insécurité alimentaire et nutritionnelle
dans la région
Salutations distnguees
Gary Mathieu
English translation
On behalf of the National Coordination of Food Safety, I welcome the initiative to develop a Regional
Food and Nutrition Security Action Plan (RFNSAP) for the Caribbean Region.
Response 1: I think that some key aspects related to food security in the region have been ignored.
Proceedings
17
1. The demographic issue. Regional population growth rates are quite high and will undermine
agricultural development, in particular programmes aimed at facilitating accessibility of
households to food and can seriously hamper the management of productive lands.
2. The environmental issue is not sufficiently developed. It is dealt with in the context of climate
change and management of natural disasters, but nothing is said about environmental
protection in the context of facilitating and sustaining productive capacity.
3. The management of food crisis due to natural disasters or price increases is not sufficiently
developed and detailed.
4. The gender aspect is crucial for countries like Haiti or the Dominican Republic and should be
more fully elaborated.
5. More emphasis should be placed on education as a cross-cutting issue.
6. The ‘’Right to Food’’ is mentioned but the real meaning of such a complex notion needs to be
more fully explained.
7. Consideration should be given to the development of a strategy that meets the objectives of
the Latin America and the Caribbean Without Hunger Initiative 2025 with updates every 2 or 3
years. In this way, we would have a plan for 14 years with periodic updates.
8. No concrete proposals for a tax and trade policy to facilitate exchanges between countries.
Response 2: The CNSA (Coordination Nationale de la Sécurité Alimentaire) is the state organization
responsible for coordinating food and nutrition security in Haiti. Regional collaboration would help us
to share our experience in monitoring food security programs and inter-institutional coordination. We
have just developed the National Plan for Food and Nutrition Security (NPFNS) for the country.
Response 3: The implementation of this plan will face certain major challenges.
1. The need for the development and adoption of national food and nutrition security policy and
action.
2. The more effective linkage of Haiti and/or the Dominican Republic, taking account of the
required adaptation, with the English-speaking Caribbean.
3. The development of mechanisms at national and regional levels for monitoring the
implementation and performance of the Plan.
4. The financing of the proposals in the RFNSAP.
Response 4: The role of civil society is not well defined. We must go beyond the limits of a civil
society comprising only mercantile organizations. Where are the farmers’ associations, the
cooperatives? Moreover, the Plan gives the impression of an academic exercise. The guidelines must
be transformed into programs and projects. Organizations like CFNI, UWI and CARDI have an
important roles to play. However, it is necessary to identify the roles of the national institutions
responsible for managing at the national level. The first chapters are not very clear. More needs to be
said about the vision and the results to be achieved in terms of reducing the food and nutrition
insecurity in the region.
With warm regards.
Gary Mathieu
18) Winston R. Rudder, facilitator of the consultation
Dear Mr. Mathieu,
This is to acknowledge with appreciation your detailed comments on the RFNSAP.
Proceedings
18
Your contribution raised the demographic issue, linkage between environmental protection and
sustainability of productive capacity, the gender dimension of food and nutrition security and better
understanding of the “Right to Food” concept as matters requiring fuller treatment in the development
of the RFNSAP. We are grateful for these and your other insights which will be drawn to the attention
of the drafters.
Please note that we have extended the e-Consultation to September 15, 2011.Accordingly, we
therefore look forward to any further contribution to the discussions from yourself or colleagues within
the CSO community in Haiti.
With kind regards
Winston R. Rudder
Facilitator
19) Marisa Wilson
Colleagues,
I am very impressed by this plan and its thoroughness. There are only a few points I would like to
make. The first is geared towards the goal of creating an interface between the policy and
implementing institutions on the one hand, and 'civil society' on the other. It involves taking heed to
the recent shift from an information-led strategy for changing consumer behaviour to a focus-group
strategy, which takes the daily preoccupations, habits and practical reasonings of individuals
seriously. The idea is that giving consumers brochures and feeding them information otherwise is not
enough to change their behaviour. The focus group strategy has worked for local food movements
elsewhere (e.g. Britain, the US), and may work in understanding consumers' perceptions in the
Caribbean. Of course, all of this could come under the market research/consultation sections of the
plan. A related issue is the assumption that creeps up in various sections of the document that there
is a one-to-one relationship between food insecurity and poverty. Just from spending time with people
in Trinidad and Tobago (the economic conditions of other islands are of course very different), I have
come to notice that those 'classes' with the least amount of money often consume the healthiest foods
(bought from the market, for example), while 'middle classes' consume convenience foods (i.e. KFC),
which are not usually the healthiest option. I agree with Mr. Greene from CAFAN (of which I am a
member) that it is important to overturn the idea of rurality and markets as 'backward'. It is important
to have specific projects to modernise rural areas and agricultural markets so as to make them
appealing to wealthier classes. Going to the market could be a leisurely activity for families and
couples – raw foods may be sold side-by-side with prepared foods and other local delights in a clean,
ordered and comfortable environment, one which may draw in people with enticing smells, for
example. I would have also liked an explicit section dealing with external policies that constrain the
effectiveness of this regional policy. What are the limits (and possibilities?) of food and nutrition
security given Caribbean countries’ position in the WTO? How do regional policies that uphold the
interests of the US (e.g. NAFTA) affect the policy outcomes? Given the constraints of these external
policies on the effectiveness of RFNSP, we must uncover the spaces and loopholes in which local
and regional value chains may thrive. Finally, I am not seeing an explicit reference to sustainable
agricultural production in the document. Even if we establish modern value chains with high-tech
solutions, there is still the issue of dependency on imports such as seeds and chemicals. While the
policy does take this issue on board, I would have liked to see more sections on actual alternatives to
industrial inputs and imported feeds and how governments will help such initiatives get off the ground.
Proceedings
19
Regards,
Dr. Marisa Wilson
20) Winston R. Rudder, facilitator of the consultation
Dear Dr. Wilson,
This is to express appreciation for your studied, supportive comments on the RFNSAP.
Your observations on the strategies influencing consumer behavior and the relationship between
income and food and nutrition insecurity are very helpful. The issue about “rurality” and markets is
taken and the misconception created will be corrected. Given your comment, there may be need to be
more explicit about the influence and impact of global events and affairs on regional food and nutrition
security and to emphasize more clearly that sustainability underpins every facet of the strategies and
actions proposed.
Once more I thank you for making time to share these points. May I remind that the e-Consultation is
extended to September 15, 2011 and any further comments you may have are welcome.
With kind regards
Winston R. Rudder
Facilitator
21) Lennox Lampkin
Dear Mr Rudder,
Let me begin by commending you for the effort so far.
Food or Nutrition Security? In my view the conversation on food and nutrition is often confusing. If we
should focus on nutrition security we would address food but in the process will be forced to be
balanced in our recommendations. We ought to be aware by now that food and poor lifestyle habits is
what is killing many of us in the Caribbean. Our policies and habits do not reflect what we publicly
proclaim and our fiscal regime is also not in line with the rhetoric.
Duration of the plan?
One would expect a strategic vision to go beyond the typical life of a political term (5 years). It is ironic
that this plan seems to follow that line of thinking... In my view such a plan should span at least a
decade as we all know the time it takes before we get things moving in the region. The plan should in
my view be revised to 2025!
Structure/Form and organisation of the document:
Maybe the document should be in two (2) volumes: The Policy framework could be separated from
the Action Plan.. as this would make for easier reading and clarity.
e.g : Volume 1: the Policy Framework component : -- pg 5-7, pg 8 sec 3.5 & Page 10/11 sect 3.15
Volume 2: The Strategic Framework & Action Plan: (a) Implementation & Management issues (b)
Communication renamed Communication and Networking or Public Education & Networking.
Proceedings
20
Defined Role of Chambers of Agriculture & Nutrition:
In the Document there should be a role for Chambers of Agriculture & Nutrition as a vehicle for rural
transformation, education and advocacy.
Bio Diversity/food sovereignty:
We are proposing a regional seed bank to preserve our indigenous bio diversity and documentation
on the nutritional value of our local fruits and vegetables.
Chemical free food/Regional chemical register:
There is a need to address the chemical payload in the food chain and therefore it is incumbent on
the authorities to have in place a regional chemical register and a system of tracing and testing of
soils and ground water for chemical residues and heavy metals. Oversight by CROSQ may be
considered.
Farm Eco system:
There should be a role for pollinating agents and livestock that provide manure that is low in chemical
residue and micro organisms. In this light Bees and Rabbits could be strongly considered.
For your information and Guidance
Lennox D. Lampkin
Chairman SVG Chamber of Agriculture & Nutrition Inc.
22) Winston R. Rudder, facilitator of the consultation
Dear Lennox,
Thanks for your kind comments on what has been a joint CARICOM-FAO initiative supported by many
within the regional stakeholder community. This is a work in progress which is expected to be
finalized at a Validation Workshop to be held in Barbados from September 19 -21, 2011.
The focus on the Food and Nutrition Security linkage is quite deliberate and is intended to address
precisely the concern you have raised - the need for a holistic, balanced approach to the multifaceted issues involved, inclusive of the impact of fiscal, trade and related socio-economic policies on
health and life styles. Sorry if the presentation in this regard seems confusing. This will be examined
in finalizing the document. Please be assured that your observations on the time horizon for the
Action Plan; the structure of the document and clear recommendations for the role of CSOs as a
vehicle for rural transformation, education and advocacy will definitely be raised and discussed at the
proposed Validation Workshop. Equally well received are the comments on bio-diversity, the chemical
payload in the food chain and concern about ensuring a farm ecosystem supportive of sustainable
agriculture..
On behalf of the sponsors of this e-Consultation, I take the opportunity to express deep appreciation
for your very insightful contribution.
With kind regards
Winston R. Rudder
Facilitator
Proceedings
21
23) Emmet Murphy
Colleagues,
I would like to thank CARICOM and FAO for this initiative to invite practitioners to comment on the
action plan.
I just sent my detailed comments on the plan under separate cover to a colleague at FAO. My
overarching comment on the document is that there needs to be much more distinction about the
economic variances and general conditions between the countries within the CARICOM region. I
would suggest that the first part of the document provide a general overview of the countries with
GDP rates, health indicators, perhaps how they stack up against each other, etc, simply because it is
difficult to compare some of the countries. In a country such as Haiti where I am involved in food
security programming, many of the key constraints are different and this country has a longer path to
attain some of these goals and more significant investment will be required. Moreover, some of the
statements made do not apply to all locations. I would also like to see more reference to source
documents, studies completed related to food security, agricultural production, nutritional surveys.
There are a wealth of resources available here in Haiti, and I imagine it would be similar in other
countries. I believe that the incorporation of this data could show the variances more succinctly to
paint the broader picture and target the resources accordingly, such as the value chain approach
noted. The constraints to value chains will vary significantly by country. The Food Utilization section
has an overemphasis on obesity. While this may be a problem in the more developed countries of
CARICOM, the term "utilization" in food deficit countries such as Haiti has a much different
connotation. For example, we implement nutrition education programs through as USAID Title II
funded program in Haiti which promotes kitchen vegetable gardens by providing seeds and inputs and
agric training through field-based agricultural extension agents. The trainings stress the importance of
dietary diversity, but keeping in mind that increasing protein intake may be difficult for poor
households. Nonetheless, training emphasizes how such households can identify a variety of food
sources to have a more balanced diet. Good luck with the finalization of this process.
Regards,
Emmet Murphy
Chief of Party ACDI/VOCA Haiti
24) Winston R. Rudder, facilitator of the consultation
Dear Mr Murphy,
Your contribution on the RFNSAP is deeply appreciated. This is to assure that the issues raised
therein will be considered during the Validation Workshop in Barbados September 19 – 21, 2011
where the Action Plan will be finalized for presentation to the official organs of CARICOM.
We are grateful for the observation on the data sets needed for better inter-country comparative
analysis of the situation and conditions across the CARICOM region to facilitate a more complete and
common understanding of the range of interventions required for addressing the daunting challenge
of regional food and nutrition security. Indeed, this would be particularly critical for elaborating the
detailed activities to be undertaken at country level and would accommodate for the heterogeneity of
circumstances existing across the region. In this regard, the insights provided about Haiti, and the
special and differential conditions prevailing there, are extremely useful. Your comment on the issue
of food utilization highlights the issue of the difference - others observed that there was over
Proceedings
22
concentration on under-nutrition – again pointing clearly to the need for specific national-level
strategies to be developed within the broad framework of the RFNSAP.
Once more please accept our sincere gratitude for taking the time to review and respond to the draft
RFNSAP.
With kind regards
Winston R. Rudder
Facilitator
25) Caribbean Agricultural Research & Development Institute
The Regional Food and Nutrition Security Action Plan (RFNSAP) is a much needed framework and
instrument for improving the nutritional status of people in the CARICOM area. CARDI is fully
cognisant of the expanded role that it must play in working with national and regional partners to
ensure the success of this critical initiative. We are particularly mindful of the following action
proposals (Action Programmes 1.3 and 1.4) contained within the plan, which we support completely:
Action Programme 1.3: Promote closer collaboration to accelerate the transfer and adoption of new
technologies.
Activity 1.3.1: Promote the adoption of new technologies.
Activity 1.3.2: Promote collaborative research and technology transfer in agricultural and food
products.
Activity 1.3.3: Strengthen regional networks for agricultural research, outreach and
development.
Activity 1.3.4: Support initiatives to promote greater access to land and water resources,
agricultural inputs and capital, particularly among small-scale farmers, to support food
production.
Activity 1.3.5: Strengthen development of agricultural cooperatives and farmers' organisations
to enhance their resilience.
Action Programme 1.4: Promote agricultural innovation through CARDI and national agricultural
research institutions, including research and development on improving productivity and agricultural
production (possibly with assistance from Brazil-EMBRAPA).
In this regard, CARDI fully endorses the absolute need for the promotion of science, technology and
innovation as key determinants of success in the agri-food sector and indeed, national and regional
economic development. There are, however, a few additions that might be considered:
1.
Traditional knowledge – the development of mechanisms to harness the wealth of information
known sometimes only to people in specific locales within the region but which can impact food and
nutrition security. Especially in relation to health and wellness. In this regard, the medicinal value of
some foods (functional foods) is indicated
2.
Farmer innovation – Very similar to traditional knowledge except this is information gleaned
by farmers through experimentation and often passed along to other farmers but which may never
make it into formal research circles. This may have implications for the commercialisation of
technologies that may be more near-market than those coming from research centres. This too must
be harnessed, especially since research has shown that farmers get a great deal of their information,
on which they base production decisions, from other farmers.
3.
Youth engagement – the action plan does address youth participation in the value chain, inter
alia, however, we believe that youth engagement must go beyond the traditional boundaries. There
must be the genuine belief that youth are part of the solution to the many problems facing the sector,
therefore their involvement must also include policy development and formulation and the use of ICTs
Proceedings
23
to transform the sector to the extent that there is a certain level of self-organisation. Youth forums that
generate ideas and new thought to shape policy for the new agriculture must be seriously pursued
and encouraged. It cannot be event oriented but must be part of a coherent long-term process that is
credible and sustainable.
4.
The emphasis on strengthening producer groups is noted and endorsed. CARDI recognises
that stakeholder engagement is a vital component of prioritising the research agenda. Additionally, the
way in which stakeholders relate to each other (strength of linkages) is also a strong indicator of the
potential for innovation and innovative behaviour. In this regard, the fostering of strong multistakeholder processes that are designed to encourage the generation, diffusion and application of
knowledge requires strategic promotion. It is therefore not entirely sufficient to strengthen farmer
organisations without building corresponding mechanisms for the various groupings to work together
towards a common objective. The Food and nutrition security policy provides that common objective
around which stakeholders can gather to promote the sector.
5.
CARDI’s role as a provider of knowledge and technology derived from agricultural research is
pivotal in this strategy. However, there must be an increasing emphasis on using these products to
engage policy makers so that there is shared ownership of the interventions in the sector that have
been mutually agreed. Unless there is ownership by policy makers at the start of the process
(programme/project development), it is highly unlikely that the results would be sustainable in terms of
their impacts on the peoples of the CARICOM area. In this regard, the role of CARDI as a CARICOM
organisation intrinsically involved in the building of evidence-based platforms upon which national and
regional agricultural policy can be built, must be given careful consideration. The marriage of research
and policy must be consummated in an environment that allows for the greatest impact, when it
comes to improving lives and livelihoods.
26) Winston R. Rudder, facilitator of the consultation
Dear Norman,
The supportive contribution of CARDI, the premier regional institution for agricultural research and
development, to the e-Consultation on the RFNSAP is much appreciated. These extensive comments
will be raised and discussed at the Validation Workshop to be held in Barbados from September 19 –
21, 2011.
The confirmation of CARDI’s commitment to play an expanded role, in strategic alliance with key
national and regional partners, to ensure success of this critical undertaking aimed at promoting
regional food and nutrition security is welcome. It is particularly reassuring to note the many areas
identified for CARDI, as a provider of knowledge and technology derived from agricultural research, to
effect improvements in agricultural productivity. In addition, there can be no disagreement with the
views expressed about the importance of stakeholder involvement in setting priorities for the research
agenda and the need to strengthen linkages across the stakeholder divide and foster robust multistakeholder processes for the generation, diffusion and application of knowledge.
Your observation on the importance of securing the link between research and policy for the success
of this enterprise cannot be over-emphasized. For, as indicated, ownership by policy makers is crucial
for ensuring sustainability of initiatives and impacts and ultimately the livelihoods of CARICOM
citizens.
Thanks once again for your participation in this e-Consultation.
With kind regards
Winston R. Rudder
Facilitator
Proceedings
24
27) Final Wrap Up and Expression of Appreciation to All Contributors by Winston R.
Rudder, facilitator of the consultation
CARICOM, assisted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, has been
pleased to host this online consultation on the CARICOM Regional Food and Nutrition Security Action
Plan (RFNSAP) 2012 – 2016, from August 2nd to September 15th.
Over the period, 15 contributions were received from concerned individuals and organizations, 13 of
which are located within the Caribbean sub-region. It was particularly heartening to engage two
organizations based in Haiti. The intent to recruit the participation of regional CSOs was partially
satisfied by the contributions of the Barbados Association of Non-Governmental Organizations
(BANGO), the Caribbean Farmers’ Network (CaFAN), the Caribbean Policy Development Centre
(CPDC) and the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Chamber of Agriculture and Nutrition Inc. The
discussion was also enriched by comments from national and regional institutions and from
individuals from academia and the private sector.
As we formally bring the e-Consultation to a close, I take the opportunity to express deep appreciation
to all contributors for the time and effort taken to review and comment on the draft RFNSAP. This is to
assure that the contributions were shared with the drafters and will be considered in finalizing the
RFNSAP. A final draft will emerge from a Validation Workshop being held from September 19th to
21st, 2011.
In pioneering the application of novel technologies to elicit broad-based participation across the subregion on an important development issue, CARICOM and FAO have demonstrated the scope for
utilizing such approaches in the future. Permit me then to give thanks also to our silent partners at
FAO headquarters who provided invaluable support and guidance in planning, organizing and
moderating this exercise.
Winston R. Rudder - Facilitator