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| Senator Haynesley Benn told a just concluded National Forum on Agriculture here that if the country is to maintain its food security and compete in this changing global arena, it must constantly review its agricultural sector and adopt a best practice approach to production. (File photo) | |
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, May 16, 2008 - Barbados should have a National Food Security Plan in place by 2010, the country's Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development has revealed.
Senator Haynesley Benn told a just concluded National Forum on Agriculture here that if the country is to maintain its food security and compete in this changing global arena, it must constantly review its agricultural sector and adopt a best practice approach to production.
He told the diverse gathering of agricultural stakeholders that given threats to our food sovereignty and food security, efforts must be geared toward "a synergistic and dynamic approach to the emerging food issues".
"The global food crisis has reinforced the urgency for the preparation and execution of a National Food Security Plan. In any event, the dynamics of the market place and the agricultural sector, in particular, requires consistent, sensible and respectful dialogue with stakeholders," Mr Benn said.
Noting that changes in food availability, rising commodity prices and producer-consumer linkages had crucial implications for the livelihoods of poor and food-insecure people, the minister said the emerging crisis also signalled the "need for socio-economic political planners to take a balanced approach to development and to be cognisant of the inherent linkages among the various sectors and the impact of decisions on the lives of people".
He also spoke to the need for changes at the micro level.
"We have to adjust our lifestyles, we have to get back to the basics and use more local foods such as yams, cassava, breadfruits, golden apples, guava, etcetera," he said.
"We need to curb our appetites for expensive brand-name clothing and accessories. I said a few weeks ago that the issue was not really the high cost of living but it is the cost of high living, and the cost of living high."
Citing recent reports which indicated that Barbadians do not consume adequate amounts of fruit and vegetables as part of their daily diets, Mr Benn noted that this had resulted in an unhealthy population which would ultimately impact on the country's health care system.
"We should therefore return to healthy eating and our fast food restaurants should create novel dishes made from locally grown food and livestock," he urged.
Meantime, Barbados' Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and International Business, Christopher Sinckler has encouraged the region's countries to launch a collaborative effort to deal with the food situation.
He said this was vital for the Caribbean to survive.
"The time has come for a new paradigm. The model can no longer be an import policy, but it needs to be a self sufficient one," Mr Sinckler said, urging governments to step up to the challenge.
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