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In a Nutshell

June 2009
In a Nutshell 二

In a Nutshell is designed to stimulate interest and inform

on issues and topics of importance to sustainable agricultural
development in Caribbean countries.

This is the age where knowledge and information are critical for
success. Information is central to our decisions, social
interactions and economic transactions. It informs and
educates us to those attributes that will empower and enable
us to sustain ourselves and flourish in today's world.

This 'In a Nutshell' is motivated by the need to give thought to

the indispensable role of agriculture and rural communities in
the building of economies in the Americas. Development must
proceed in a manner that ensures human prosperity and
security in all its dimensions and environmental sustainability.
Sustainable development is a central part of the agenda for the
Fifth Summit of the Americas and Fifth Agriculture Ministerial,
both meetings hosted by Caribbean countries in 2009.
Protected markets for agricultural products have virtually
disappeared, and the Caribbean is challenged to find new
economic pillars on which to build its economies and to achieve
the goals of sustainable development.

The content of this issue is based on the thoughts and writings

of Dr. Cheltson W. D. Brathwaite, Director General of the IICA
contained in a speech "Lessons in Leadership" presented to the
"Development Connect" of the OAS in October 2008 and the
Conference on Agriculture in the Tropics presented at the
University of the West Indies (UWI) Conference on Tropical
Agriculture, November 2008. It is hoped that these ideas will
stimulate the dialogue, partnerships and actions for keeping
agriculture and rural life as a development priority.
Our responsibility and opportunity …
…to conquer hunger and poverty!
The challenge for agriculture in the future will not only be to
satisfy food availability but also, to ensure the safety and
reliability of food supplies. The question is how to translate this
challenge into specific actions that enable us to join forces,
generate new resources and articulate combined actions at the
national, regional and international levels.

We must recognize that we cannot respond to this challenge

with a vision rooted in yesterday's institutions and solutions. We
must acknowledge that the resources required to develop a
competitive agriculture and to foster rural prosperity exceed
the possibilities of any one organization.

IICA believes that the international community must work

together with national leaders to identify and forge, with the
full participation of civil society, a new institutional framework
based on strategies for the sustainable improvement of
agriculture and rural life. Our responsibility to eradicate rural
poverty and reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
demands that we fight less to preserve our turf and instead join
forces to improve farmer's income and rural food security.
Dr. Chelston w. D. Brathwaite
from "Reducing hunger by sharing global Prosperity with the rural
communities of the Americas"
In a Nutshell
a New Era
The world today is a very different place.
… some major emerging trends*
... the ‘global village’ is now a
‘global metropolis’: half of the
world’s population will live in
mega-cities, with populations
in excess of 8 million, mostly
in developing countries. The
relative power of some
developing countries - Brazil,
China, India - is also growing!
… for most countries, life
expectancy will be 100 years
by 2025: in developing
countries, a ‘youth bulge’ will
strain education systems,
housing, infrastructure and
job markets, while in
developed countries an aging
population will strain social
and health care services!
* Global Trends 2015, A dialogue about the future with Non-government Experts, National Intelligence Council,
http://www.dni.gov/nic/NIC_globaltrend2015.html
Far-fetched?
Is the writing on the walls?
Does evidence exist?
1
… world population will grow to 8
billion in 2020: 95% of this growth
will be in developing countries.
Haiti’s population is expected to
double over the next 20 years. A
rapidly growing population will
put pressures on migration,
energy, food, water and
development resources!
… technology and knowledge will
drive industry growth: unmet
demand for infrastructure –
communications, water, energy,
waste disposal, urban
transportation, public health,
housing and education – will fuel
backlashes against the concept of
modernisation!
In a Nutshell 1

The evidence?
A new zone of history and era of turbulence….

Population pressures and global protests

have increased global tensions against
unmet socio-economic domestic demands,
market liberalisation and IMF-type
economic management and growth
strategies.

Environmental pressures are causing

fisheries to collapse, forests to shrink, soils
to erode, deserts to expand, atmospheric
Co2 levels, seas and temperatures to rise,
water tables to fall, rivers to run dry and
species to disappear.1

A deep and unprecedented financial crisis is

crippling leading world economies and
reducing overseas development assistance
and investments in developing countries.

Rapidly escalating oil prices that peaked at

US$140 per barrel in 2008, now $70, is
evidence of turbulence driven by demand
for more energy, particularly as emerging
economies expand.

Genetic engineering and agro-

biotechnology is spawning a new and
unprecedented agricultural revolution that
produces 'factory-fresh food' and ‘clean
and renewable’ energy.

An international race to space that is

diverting resources from solving hunger,
poverty and food insecurity to take ‘high-
resolution images of the moon's
topography’ (US$80 million by India) and
to put ‘a robotic rover on Mars’ (US$12.08
billion pledged by Europe).

1 Outgrowing the Earth: The Food Security Challenge in an Age of Falling Water Tables and Rising

Temperatures., Lester R. Brown

In a Nutshell 2

three Main Problems

Poverty: levels are rising . . . .
where 2.1 billion people live on less than US$2 a
day and 880 million on less than US$1 a day, most
living in rural areas in developing countries,
depending on agriculture for their livelihoods.
Serious pockets of poverty will put people in
developing countries at risk of death and
starvation.

Hunger: feeding a burgeoning population . . .

where the food security ‘silent tsunami’ has
created perhaps the first globalised
humanitarian crisis, adding an additional 130
million people to the ranks of the urgently
hungry, who were not there just one year ago.”2
The problem is not agriculture or science, but
political will, pro-poor policies, transportation
and distribution.

Disease: particularly among the youth. . .

with chronic non-communicable diseases now
becoming the primary health concerns in the
world. Diabetes, heart disease, stroke and
hypertension are the major cause of death in
many of Caribbean countries. Over-eating
alongside malnutrition are among the leading
risk factors.

Agriculture is necessary to avert these inter-linked

humanitarian crises of hunger, poverty
and disease!

2
Madam Josette Sheeran, Executive Director, World Food Programme, 2008.
In a Nutshell 3

But agriculture is not sufficient!

Agriculture continues to be a fundamental instrument for
sustainable development and poverty reduction. It has proven
to be uniquely powerful for that task.

But ‘agriculture alone will not be

enough to massively reduce
poverty’3 or hunger or non-
communicable diseases.

There are other critical issues that

must complement Agriculture’s
role.

Infrastructure is vital and must

include water management
systems (eg. irrigation), rural
infrastructure (eg. roads), health
and social services;

Education is key for productivity

growth, sustainable livelihoods
and business development;

Information is essential and must go

beyond just information
technologies, to consider
information sources and their
impacts and infrastructure to
improve social capital and
empowerment;

Environmental protection is
indispensable to address the
impacts of global warming,
enhance adaptation to climate
change and to meet the goals of
sustainable development.

3
World Bank World Development Report ‘Agriculture for Development, released October 2007
In a Nutshell 4

A New Model for Development

This is more important now than ever before, if world
leaders are to effectively manage change and achieve equitable
human development given the global challenges. No country or
region will remain immune from the impacts of these challenges
and past and current models are no longer sufficient.

Industry-led growth has not worked!

Economic modernisation has favoured growth in urban areas,
with the attendant concentration of population in cities.
Limited investments improving rural infrastructure has
resulted in inequality between urban and rural areas.

A new dependency is not an option!

Food aid and aid-for-trade are ‘temporary’ measures in times
of disruption of supplies. Recipient countries have become
dependent on food aid that has reduced local production
capacity and ‘crowded-out’ local agriculture from industry and
food distribution networks. The Caribbean’s food import bill is
about US$3.5 billion and rising.

A new green revolution is not enough!

The first 1960s Green revolution did reduce hunger and food
insecurity and is credited with saving 1 billion lives. But it came
at the expense of small producers who were socially excluded
from the process. It also nurtured dependence on imported
pesticides and fertilizers, resulting in many environmental
problems related to pollution of land and water resources.
In a Nutshell 5

A new development model must value the key contribution of a

multi-functional agriculture and rural economy - in ensuring
food and nutrition security, providing renewable energy and
water security, supporting sustainable livelihoods, preserving
the environment and contributing to social peace and stability -
as integral to development.

The importance of agriculture in development was recognised by Sir

Arthur Lewis in his celebrated 1955 “Theory of economic
growth”. Unfortunately, governments in the Caribbean and in
many parts of the developing world have often failed to
appreciate this simple truth. The evidence of decades of neglect
is everywhere: rural poverty, rural-urban migration and growth of
mega-cities, with the attendant social pathologies.

The need to redress the imbalance by raising the return to agricultural

activity was evident in Lewis’s legacy. This requires making the
conditions of rural life more attractive, by investing in human and
physical capital for agriculture and providing other requisite
government support.

This is the moment for a new chapter. Every once and a while, there is
a moment of history that defines the future of a nation, a region,
or a discipline. This is a time for reflection, for decision, for action,
for new leadership and for a new vision of the food and
agriculture systems of the world.
In a Nutshell 6

Elements of the new model

A new vision of food and agriculture systems of the
world must encompass the old and emerging challenges
to sustainable and equitable human development.

The proposed new model should have 6 components:

1) National policies that support a multi-dimensional, multi-sectoral

focus on agriculture and the development of rural communities.
This is essential at a time when fundamental questions are being
asked regarding the role and future of agriculture, particularly in
the Caribbean.

2) Practical and long-term strategies to increase investment in

research, innovation and technology transfer; to drive production
based on health and safety principles; to foster agricultural trade,
encourage investments and create jobs and sustainable
livelihoods in rural communities.

3) New Educational Curriculum that includes and expands the scope

of agricultural sciences and nurtures and integrates it into a
culture of entrepreneurship. Knowledge and information based
economies and inter-connected networks require a solid
foundation of education and training. The new agricultural
curriculum must assist in unlocking the talent and creativity of
youth so that they can contribute to finding innovative solutions
to the complex challenges.
In a Nutshell 7

4) Clear Policies on Food Consumption and Nutrition that define

strategies to provide nations and the region with wholesome
nutritious foods, agricultural production strategies, and
strategies to link industrial development and trade policy that
values local food and local products.

5) A renewed Institutional Framework, creating Ministries of

Food and Agriculture and Rural Development that address
Food Security, Food Safety, Nutrition Policy and Rural Affairs,
replace the outdated structure of Ministries of Agriculture
(established immediately post-colonialism) and engender an
environment for partnerships.

6) A Global Partnership and Fund focused on reducing world food

and nutrition insecurity, just as there is a global fund to fight
HIV/AIDs, tuberculosis and malaria with assets of over US$6.8
billion. 'Partnerships' for progress is the emphasis of MDG 8.

If we are serious about genuine sustainable and equitable human

development, then maintaining our current levels of food and
nutrition insecurity in the Caribbean is not a wise long term
development policy! The time has come for nations of the
Caribbean to place priority on food and nutrition security in
national and regional planning.
In a Nutshell 8

Making
Food Security
A Priority
In these times,
agriculture and rural
life must be given priority in
development agendas that value them as
the bedrock of society and cornerstone of
any economy. Developed countries are
spending about US$1 billion per day to maintain their food
and nutrition security. While Caribbean countries cannot
do the same, appropriate steps must be taken to
improve food and nutrition security in this region.

Food and Nutrition Security must...

… become a central component of development planning and

must be linked to agricultural development policies that are
part of National Development Goals.

… stimulate the production of more of what we consume, create

more sustainable livelihoods and employment opportunities
in the food services sector and contribute to reduction in un-
employment and poverty.

… be integrally linked to the needs of resident populations and

also importantly to the tourism industry, on which so many
Caribbean economies now depend.

In the Caribbean, we have rejected the Privy Council and

developed our own legal/judicial system, established our own
University and our own educational system and developed our own
health care system. But we have left the production and
supply of our food, the most basic of human needs in
the hands of others! Addressing this issue must be a Caribbean
partnership since no country in this region can obtain an acceptable
level of food security on its own.
In a Nutshell 9

Partnerships and Leadership

operative words!

International organisations, regional organisations,

non-government organisations, financial
institutions, businesses and multi-national platforms
for dialogue, like the Summit of the Americas,
can provide a solid base for developing
leadership and partnerships on a broad range of
issues, including trade and investment, food
security, sustainable development,
transportation, energy security and good
governance.

The new model needs…..

…leaders that recognise that the food and

agriculture system is strategic to economic
growth, social stability, environmental
protection and governance;

…farmers who are entrepreneurs and who

operate their farm as a business enterprise which
requires them to acquire skills and factors that
build and sustain competitive advantage,
including management skills, knowledge and
technology;

…political will and leadership to make food and

nutrition security a priority in the development
agenda of the country and region.

A new development model can unleash the

talent, energy and enterprise of people of the
Americas. In April 2009, Heads of State and
Government, meeting in the Fifth Summit of
the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago,
represented diverse partnerships for progress
towards human prosperity, energy security and
environmental sustainability..
In a Nutshell 10

Caribbean Regional Action

There should be no more delay; no more talk without action; no
more dreams about reviving the old models of preferences for our
products in international markets. The food and agriculture
systems of our countries should become a development
priority, embodied in a Caribbean Regional Food Plan that must.....

… take advantage and build on recent efforts to deepen the regional

integration process that promotes joint actions and strategic
public and private sector and civil society partnerships;

… consolidate and support the development of critical industries

that provide fresh and processed wholesome food products to
satisfy local and tourist demands;

… deal decisively with issues of access to assets, including land

reform, credit and financing, technology, equipment and
machinery, transportation and other infrastructure that reduce
risk in agriculture;

… manage disruptions in food supplies through regional food

storage, bank and germplasm facilities for distribution, relief
from disruptions and disasters and rapid resuscitation of
productive capacity;

… be adequately financed through a Regional Fund, that enables

all the above and critically, accelerates the deep institutional
reform that has been severely lacking in the Caribbean.
In a Nutshell 11

the essentials
...leaders and partnership
partnerships
ships
. . . in this new era, are absolutely essential at all levels.
This is an era where the wisdom of Mahatma Ghandi,
the great apostle of peace and brotherhood, must be
built-into policies and strategies to build the economies
of the Americas to meet the challenges of the new and
turbulent times. Of these Lessons in Leadership,
perhaps the most fundamental are that we must have
knowledge with morality, science with humanity and
politics with principles.

...a new vision

. . . is an essential tool of leaders and an essential
requirement for smart partnerships. At the Fifth
Summit of the Americas, human prosperity, energy
security and environmental sustainability were themes
for discussion and decision. At the Agriculture
Ministerial meeting in October, building capacity for
food security and rural life in the Americas will be the
theme on which joint actions will be agreed. IICA calls
for decisive consideration of a new vision for the food
and agriculture sector of the Americas and its pivotal
role in achieving these noble objectives.

..firm commitment to action

action
. . . is necessary. The countries of the Americas shall
make little or no progress in promoting human
prosperity, energy security or environmental
sustainability unless food security, agricultural
development and the rural economy are priorities in
national and international development agendas.
Countries of the Americas will become developed
countries when the welfare of farmers and food
security of nations are priority issues on the inter-
American, regional and national development agendas.
 In a Nutshell 12

In a Nutshell Issue #15

June 2009
ISSN-1991-2323 CaRC/TT-02/09

Prepared by
Diana Francis
Regional Specialist
Trade Policy and Negotiations Programme
IICA Caribbean Region

based on writings and papers of the

Dr. Chelston W. D. Brathwaite, Director General, IICA
with additional information as referenced.

Printing:
CTP Services & Supplies

This issue is printed with financing from the

Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation

For more information, please contact:

INTER-AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR COOPERATION ON AGRICULTURE

OFFICE IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
#10 Austin Street, St. Augustine, P.O. Box, 1318
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Tel: (868) 645-5020; 4555; 8886;
Email: Diana.Francis@iica.int