Promoting ‘smarter’ food security
Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Noel Holder addressing the meeting’s opening session on Monday at the Ramada Georgetown Princess
Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Noel Holder addressing the meeting’s opening session on Monday at the Ramada Georgetown Princess

Regional stakeholders in talks to gauge health, nutrition impact on agriculture

OVER the next five days, the Caribbean Agro-Economic Society (CAES) will spearhead deliberations on ways to promote “smarter” growth by understanding the impact of health and nutrition on agricultural development.

As part of the 32nd Bi-annual West Indian Agricultural Economics Conference, the Society and other local and regional stakeholders will work to enhance food and nutrition security under the theme, “The Pathway to Sustainable Agricultural Development in the Caribbean”.
Since its establishment in 1975, the Society has held conferences in various countries across the Caribbean, but this year, their deliberations, which started on Monday, takes place here in Guyana at the Ramada Georgetown Princess Hotel at Providence, on the lower East Bank Demerara(EBD).

According to CAES President, Mr. Carlisle Pemberton, all the challenges affecting the industry will be reviewed. ”Problems such as low-income earners who can’t afford food; school feeding; problems of food accessibility by young persons and pregnant women; food waste and nutritional problems; diet and shortages of essential minerals,” Pemberton said.
The over 55 participants will also visit agricultural sites around Guyana to have a better understanding of how the country manages food security, given that it has a an abundance of food at its disposal.
They are also expected to look at the pockets of poverty; limited access to food in some areas; and the impact of climate change on food security.

Participants at 32nd Bi-annual West Indian Agricultural Economics Conference

Experts from the Caribbean also said that Guyana is, and has always been considered, the breadbasket of the Caribbean and one of the few countries in the region that has achieved MDG 1 (Millennium Development Goal), which is, essentially, the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger.
They thus feel that by analysing the performance of the country’s agricultural sector, it will allow other countries to have a better appreciation for food and nutrition security problems in their homeland.

Guyana’s Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Noel Holder, sought to point out some ways in which countries can improve its food security. “Some of the important steps to build food security are to invest in research, evaluation and education,” he said during his opening presentation.
The adoption of improved processing practices and policies, including safer transportation and storage infrastructure which reduces food loss and wastage, is also needed, he said.
“It is important we take into account, at the same time, diverse perspectives and approaches,” Minister Holder said, adding: “We must consider very technical issues such as animal health, plant pests, and also economic perspectives, households, and policies given that all of these make up the food system.
“Also, we must be cognisant that all of these, and their interactions, are going to be modified by climate change.”
He also highlighted the need for more diversified agricultural production and consumption through the inclusion of more nutritious foods such as beans, vegetables, fruits and dairy products.

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