Major Characteristics of Caribbean Food Systems: Trade/Imports; Subsistence; and Nutrition

1
Major Characteristics of Caribbean Food Systems
Trade/Imports Subsistence and Nutrition

• Dr. Sharon Hutchinson
• On Behalf of Dr. Ranjit Singh
• Department of Agricultural Economics and
  Extension, UWI, St. Augustine
• Global Environmental Change and Food Systems
  (GECAFS)First Caribbean Scenarios Meeting
• Kingston, Jamaica Sept 1-3 2005

2
Outline of Presentation

• Definition and conceptual map of food systems
• Characteristics of Caribbean economis
• Characteristics of Caribbean food systems
• Sources of vulnerability
• Conclusion

3
Food Systems A Definition

• Food systems are a set of dynamic interactions
  between and within the biophysical and human
  environments that result in the production,
  processing, distribution, preparation and
  consumption of food. (GECAFS Science Plan and
  Implementation Strategy)
• These systems encompass
• Food availability
• Food access
• Food utilization

4
Elements of the Food System

• Food Availability
• Production
• Distribution
• Exchange

• Food Access
• Affordability
• Allocation
• Preference

• Food Utilization
• Nutritional value
• Social value
• Food safety

5
The Food Supply Chain
Imports
Market
Marketing Intermediaries
Consumers
Production
6
Overview of Sources of Vulnerability
Infrastructure
Env. Damage/ Climate Change
Imports
Global Supply
Local Supply
Production


Global Demand
Local Demand
Price
Middlemen
Real Income
Consumers
7
Country Profile Table - CARICOM (Physical)
8
Country GDP and GDP per capita (2002)
9
Country GDP Growth Rates and Inflation Rates
(2002)
10
Importance of Agriculture

• Variable by country re contribution to GDP
• High for the region as a whole (GDP contribution)
• High employment directly and indirectly
• Dominant in terms of resource use
• Main plantation crops
• Sugar cane
• Banana
• Rice
• coconut

11
Agriculture Contribution GDP (2003) and
Employment (1991-2002)
12
CARICOM Food Trade In The Caribbean (2001) -
of All Trade
Excludes Antigua and Guyana
13
Production Characteristics Dominica Case

• Very small farms on fragmented holdings (74 of
  farmers hold lt 5 acres)
• 9,026 farm households (1995)
• Like other OECS countries, most of the land
  occupied by small farmers is in mountainous areas
  of hillside slopes
• Over reliance on a single crop

14
Production Characteristics Dominica Case (2)

• Lack of fertile land
• High transportation costs due to mountainous
  terrain
• Poor land tenure
• Low technology systems

15
Recent Trends in Main Agricultural Commodities -
Bananas

• ? export
• ? prices
• ? employment
• ? competition (especially new WTO rules)

16
Recent Trends in Main Agricultural Commodities
Sugar Cane

• Significant ? in income
• Further 39 ? prices (January 2006)
• Already approx. 25 ? in income in the last 4
  yrs
• ? competition from other sweeteners

17
Recent Trends in Main Agricultural Commodities
Coconut

• ? competition from Soya bean and corn oil
• ? fears of ill health
• ? incidence of disease in crop

18
Recent Trends in Main Agricultural Commodities
Rice

• Problems of global oversupply
• ? prices

19
Non-Traditional Commodities?

• Production and exports not impressive
• ? exports of three important non-traditional
  exports (mangoes, plantains, root crops)
• ? production in the poultry sector (esp. Jamaica
  and Dominican Republic
• Exports of fishery products appear stable
• The Caribbean is not seizing opportunities in
  non-traditional, more processed food or import
  substitutes

20
A Look At The Components Of Food Supply

• Own production (backyard/ subsistence farming)
• Community production
• National production
• Imports (regional and international)
• Food aid

21
How Can We Categorize Food Systems?

• Urban
• Rural
• Non-coastal
• Coastal

22
Characteristics Of Urban Food Sub-system

• Very low/ nil own production
• Very low/ nil community production
• Largely national/ international food sources
• Driven by consumer income
• Very vulnerable

23
Characteristics Of Rural (Non-coastal) Food
Sub-system

• Income generating activities usually based on
• Traditional export crops (e.g. sugarcane,
  bananas)
• Non-traditional commodities
• Low community production of non-market crops
• Largely national/ international food sources
• Access to food based on wage
• Fairly vulnerable

24
Characteristics Of Rural (Coastal) Food Sub-system

• Food system highly characterized by fish and
  other seafood resources which account for the
  major source of protein
• Income generating activities usually based on
• Seafood production
• Coconut production
• Low community production of non-market crops
• Largely national/ international food sources
• Access to food based on wage
• Usually very low mean wages and poor political
  power
• Very vulnerable

25
Geographical And Socio-economic Characteristics
of SIDS Which Increases Vulnerability To Climate
Change

• Narrow economic base
• Traditional exports and tourism
• Low productivity and production
• Plantation and small rain-fed agriculture
• Economic dependence on larger countries for
  markets and investments
• Imports loss of trade preferences/
  competitiveness changes in trade policies
  declining prices
• Increased pressure on natural resource base
• Increased incidence of pockets of poverty
• Fragile coastal systems
• Growing non-healthy food choices

26
Poverty

• Approx. 25 of the total population in the
  Caribbean (more than 7 mill people), can be
  classified as poor (World Bank Poverty Head Count
  Index)
• Population below National Poverty Line
  (1989-1994)
• Suriname 47
• Guyana 43
• Haiti 60

27
Nutrition

• In the last 25-30 yrs, the incidence of
  energy-protein mal-nutrition and infectious
  disease has declined
• This has been replaced by non-communicable,
  nutrition-related chronic diseases as the major
  cause of death
• Obesity
• High blood pressure/ heart disease
• Diabetes

28
Conclusion

• The food subsystems that rely heavily on imports
  will be extremely vulnerable
• Changes in the food system must be assessed from
  both a global and localized perspective.
• In the short run, the erosion of purchasing power
  may have the biggest potential to destabilize
  Caribbean food systems

29
Thank You!

• Major Characteristics of Caribbean Food Systems
  Trade/Imports Subsistence and Nutrition
• Dr. Sharon Hutchinson
• On Behalf of Dr. Ranjit Singh
• Department of Agricultural Economics and
  Extension, UWI,
• St. Augustine