BARBADOS is looking at a regional solution to the agricultural problems that might occur as a result of climate change.
Speaking during the 47th Caribbean Food Crop Society conference at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre yesterday, acting Minister of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and Water Resource Management Senator Haynesley Benn said there was “no way” one nation or institution could tackle the potential issues and therefore synergies should be created.
“In our agricultural sectors, the effects of climate change are such that they can worsen our food security and nutrition situation. This is the more worrying when one considers the growing demand for food due to population growth, rising incomes and the use of grains to produce bioenergy.
“Drastic measures must therefore be taken if we are to manage the expected fallout from climate change on our food production sectors. The best way to achieve this is by taking a regional approach,” said Benn.
He said that historically the different dimensions of food and nutrition security have been addressed separately across the region, resulting in “a mix of policies” that have not had the desired results.
Benn suggested therefore it was necessary to develop regional food production and distribution systems to ensure stable food availability.
“To be effective, these policies require a uniform legal and regulatory environment that guarantees food safety, health, nutrition standards and institutional arrangements for implementation,” he said. (MM)
