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POST #6: Government Policies vs. Actions - Looking at the volatility of the political landscape with respect to policies in the Region and their impact on Food and Nutrition Security
by Afiya De Sormeaux, Junior Consultant, CaRAPN

Correct me if I'm wrong, but is the political landscape of in CARICOM a hindrance to food and nutrition, or the implementation of a food and nutrition policy? I always supposed that political parties, the world over, are suppose to scrutinize their opposition such that if they were to be given a shot a governing, they would weed out the bad elements and fertilize the good elements of the last regime or improve on them. Can we apply this to philosophy to CARICOM? LOL (laugh out loud). Thats a joke! I cannot understand why our governments seek to implement new instruments every time there is a shift in the political landscape. In this case where agriculture, food and nutrition are the subjects, every regime has an 'optimal' suggestion of how to curb this 4 billion US dollar food import bill. However, it is hampered by the politics of the region. One prime example of this is in Trinidad and Tobago, 5 general elections between 2000 and 2010, where ONE election is supposed to be called every five years! How is a sector supposed to stabilize itself under these conditions? Let's suppose all CARICOM governments buy into the proposed Regional Food and Nutrition Security Policy right now. What's going to happen when the individual countries change political hands? Is it going to be the same situation that happened to the West Indies Shipping Corporation in the 1960's, where one country changed government and subsequently pulled out of the agreement and others followed sooner or later? The political hindrance to an awesome instrument like the proposed Regional Food and Nutrition Policy is very real. And it doesnt have to be an entire political party changing. All it takes is one new minister. It is my belief that some arrangement should be put in place where certain productive measures for the region should be cast in stone until the global landscape marks it as unfit. But then again, we always hear these politicians advocating for hundreds of ways to improve food and nutrition security in the region. 'We need to pursue a strategic approach to transforming the agriculture sector into an internationally competitive sector', Honourable Robert Persaud, Minister of Agriculture, Guyana. 'More local foods on the table', Honourable Vasant Bharath Minister of Food Production,. 'We can make a dent on that (food import bill) and we can save up
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Policies for agriculture, agriculture for progress Visit us @: www.pn4ad.org

to US$300 million if we produce more of the things that we use locally' Honourable Roger Clarke, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Jamaica. And my favorite 'The Jagdeo Initiative is the way forward for CARICOM': President Bharrath Jagdo of Guyana. I LOL again because apparently they believe that by saying something impressive, it will magically be accomplished. I did some research on the Jagdeo Initiative and as at late 2011 a status report hasnt been presented by any of the contributing members on their assigned roles. Even if you want to suggest at the regional level things take a little more time for things to progress, ministries of agriculture will not even adopt mechanisms of propulsion that are justifiably suitable for the current situation. There is a buzz clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoOQQSMZ9hk) that features Christopher Thoms, Communications Director of the Ministry of Agriculture Jamaica at the Agricultural Round Table in Dominica (2011) that explains this point clearly. He is suggesting to his seniors that Facebook and Twitter can be used to reach the youth of his country. He was promptly told that the ministry does not cater to that audience. Yet all governments suggest that the problem of youth in agriculture is a factor that requires pressing interests. Its a known but sad political gesture of politicians talking the talk but never really walking the walk. What will happen to the Policy instrument that deals with regional food and nutrition security? Will it succumb to the ills of changing political hands? Or will it just be an instrument of reference to woo individuals into a sense of false food and nutrition security. Personally, politics can be a tool for improvement, but is usually a device for evil. But hey, correct me if I'm wrong, I DARE YOU

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