OPTIONS FOR A FOOD REPLACEMENT STRATEGY IN THE CONTEXT OF RISING FOOD PRICES AND FOOD SECURITY A WORKING PAPER Neil C A Paul Manager R&D Shridath Ramphal Centre for International Trade Law, Policy and Services UWI, Cavehill Campus, BARBADOS

OPTIONS FOR A FOOD REPLACEMENT STRATEGY IN THE CONTEXT OF RISING FOOD PRICES AND FOOD SECURITY : A Working Paper Main Arguments Rising food prices globally has sparked off the current food crisis This crisis provides the opportunity for Caribbean countries to tackle the food security concerns which have been neglected over the last twenty years Since the 1980s, the region has adopted the paradigm of buying then cheap food from the world market

OPTIONS FOR A FOOD REPLACEMENT STRATEGY IN THE CONTEXT OF RISING FOOD PRICES AND FOOD SECURITY : A Working Paper Main Arguments’ (con’d) This has in effect “put the sword” to the domestic agricultural sector which couldn’t compete favourably. The problem is that the Caribbean countries continue to be trapped in the import – export paradigm of the 1970s and 1980s with unsustainable food import bills The major concerns are with food security, food sovereignty and the prevalence of Chronic Non- Communicable Diseases (CNCDs)

OPTIONS FOR A FOOD REPLACEMENT STRATEGY IN THE CONTEXT OF RISING FOOD PRICES AND FOOD SECURITY : A Working Paper Main Arguments (con’d) Aim of the paper are: Raise awareness of the food import-NCD links Articulate some options as part of what is being termed a “Food Replacement Strategy” –“systematic replacement of foods from the import basket with those from the indigenous food sector” –Critical task of re-orienting tastes and preferences will be an up-hill task in a region with a proclivity for things foreign.

OPTIONS FOR A FOOD REPLACEMENT STRATEGY IN THE CONTEXT OF RISING FOOD PRICES AND FOOD SECURITY: A Working Paper Rising Food Prices Volatile fuel Prices ( highest USD$200/barrel) Use of food for production of ethanol Increased Demand for food Improved economic situation developing countries Droughts, Floods, hurricanes Climate change

OPTIONS FOR A FOOD REPLACEMENT STRATEGY IN THE CONTEXT OF RISING FOOD PRICES AND FOOD SECURITY : A Working Paper Spiraling Food Import Bills Figure 1: Global Food Import Bills

OPTIONS FOR A FOOD REPLACEMENT STRATEGY IN THE CONTEXT OF RISING FOOD PRICES AND FOOD SECURITY: A Working Paper Figure 2: Regional Food Import Bills

OPTIONS FOR A FOOD REPLACEMENT STRATEGY IN THE CONTEXT OF RISING FOOD PRICES AND FOOD SECURITY : A Working Paper NUTRITION RELATED PROBLEMS High prevalence of obesity in the population, particularly among the youth. High risk for developing any of the chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCDs). High prevalence of nutrition-related CNCDs among older persons.

OPTIONS FOR A FOOD REPLACEMENT STRATEGY IN THE CONTEXT OF RISING FOOD PRICES AND FOOD SECURITY : A Working Paper obesity and overweight notwithstanding, diets lack diversity and tend to be inadequate in vitamins and minerals. CNCDs not restricted to socio-economic or demographic lines but related to sedentary life style Changes in diets can linked to domestic and import food policies.

OPTIONS FOR A FOOD REPLACEMENT STRATEGY IN THE CONTEXT OF RISING FOOD PRICES AND FOOD SECURITY: A Working Paper TABLE 1: Main Causes of Death in the Caribbean

OPTIONS FOR A FOOD REPLACEMENT STRATEGY IN THE CONTEXT OF RISING FOOD PRICES AND FOOD SECURITY: A Working Paper

Towards A Food Replacement Strategy (FRS) Critical Components of FRS Holistic and All inclusive ((Health, Agriculture, community & Rural Dev Consultation (National & Regional) WTO compliance Changing preferences & Behaviour Short, medium and Long term Strategic options Innovative use of new and old Communication technologies

OPTIONS FOR A FOOD REPLACEMENT STRATEGY IN THE CONTEXT OF RISING FOOD PRICES AND FOOD SECURITY : A Working Paper Critical Components of FRS (con’d) Urban Agriculture Backyard gardening or Box agriculture Water harvesting Foods which will form part of the replacement –STARCHES - maize, cush-cush, dasheen, cassava, tannia, Arrowroot, Breadfruit –FRUITS - avocado, pineapple, guava, papaya, West Indian cherry, guinep, soursop, sugar apple, sapodilla, caimite/star apple, mammey apple, plums (Spondias) –LEGUMES - beans (Phaseolus vulgaris, ground nuts; –VEGETABLES - Spinach/Bhagi (Amaranthus) and pumpkin

OPTIONS FOR A FOOD REPLACEMENT STRATEGY IN THE CONTEXT OF RISING FOOD PRICES AND FOOD SECURITY : A Working Paper Industrial crops and beverages viz., cocoa and mauby to name a few Condiments which include hot pepper, pimento, vanilla, tonka bean.

OPTIONS FOR A FOOD REPLACEMENT STRATEGY IN THE CONTEXT OF RISING FOOD PRICES AND FOOD SECURITY : A Working Paper Conclusions The nutritional value of these and other food which can be produced locally, must be articulated and shared with the populations through schools, community organizations, hospitals, sports and social clubs The foregoing are some of the building blocks in the articulation of a food replacement strategy which must be developed to help reduce the food import bills and the incidence of NCDs.