Caribbean Community (Caricom) Member States have agreed in principle, to adopt the Draft Caricom Regional Policy for Food and Nutrition Security as an integrated framework to attain food security in the region. Specialists in the field of agriculture, trade, health, nutrition, and representatives of regional institutions combed through the Draft Policy at the Princess Hotel, Georgetown, Guyana last week to verify whether it had rationalised comprehensively, all factors relevant to a regional policy for food and nutrition security. The Caricom Secretariat in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations with assistance from the Government of Italy and the European Union convened the Validation Workshop for the Draft Caricom Regional Policy for Food and Nutrition Security, towards a framework which will secure higher food production; better health and nutrition; income and employment opportunities; and poverty alleviation, among other things.
"Caricom Member States, the main stakeholders in the development and implementation of the Policy, reached the consensus that after adjustments were made based on their recommendations, they would propose that the Council of Trade and Economic Development (Coted) adopt the document as a comprehensive and integrated policy to achieve the objectives of adequate, stable and nutritious supplies of food throughout the region," a statement said. The Technical Working Group guiding the process was tasked with tweaking the document to reflect the member states' recommendations. The Draft Policy would be re-circulated to member states and then finalised in time for the next meeting of Coted, during the Week of Agriculture in Grenada, October 17 to 23. The Technical Working Group includes officials of member states, University of the West Indies, Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute, the Caricom Secretariat, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture and FAO.
Among the action stakeholders prioritized going forward were:
1. The promotion of increased availability of regionally produced nutritious food at competitive market prices using the value chain approach,
2. Identification and mapping of vulnerable groups using a gender sensitive approach and establishment of a national and regional database of this information,
3. Removal of non tariff barriers to trade (SPS-TBT barriers) that increases transaction costs and hinders access to and distribution of food with in the region,
4. Promotion of healthy Caribbean diets and optimal nutrition to reduce obesity, NCDs and malnutrition especially at all stages of the education system,
5. Building of resilience to the recurring threats to food security bearing in mind that the region is prone to the risks posed by climate change and natural disasters.
The stakeholders also agreed that the Technical Working Group should develop an action plan that would clearly outline the strategies for the implementation of the policy. An equally significant consensus was for the Caricom Secretariat to request the continuation of FAO's technical assistance and mobilise resources for this purpose, based on the established priorities. Programme manager, agriculture and industry, Caricom Secretariat, Sergio Garcia said that the Draft Regional Policy on Food and Nutrition Security was a "living document" to help the region achieve food security. He said that while the Draft Policy was being finalised, sensitisation and public education, especially among farmers organisation, was crucial to achieve support of the Policy as the flagship framework for food and nutrition security. Caribbean 360.com