Expert: Caribbean agriculture will rise again

"The deleterious change in the long standing preferential arrangement regarding the price of commodity sugar, proposed by the European Union, will have a devastating impact on the fragile economies of small island developing states ," admitted Dr Basil Springer of the Caribbean Business Enterprise Trust as he called for innovative interim strategies to allow small islands to adapt and diversify. He commented that "in addition, island states should focus on alternative uses of the sugar cane plant. There are many commercially viable opportunities if only we can stir up the political will to diligently assemble the relevant resources and pursue these opportunities."

Attending the First International Conference on Environmental and Sustainable Development in Santo Domingo, Dr Springer said the ten-year review of the Barbados Programme of Action for Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States will probably reveal that nothing much has been done since 1994 because no single individual or institution was given a mandate to "deliver the goods." "Let us hope that the Mauritius Strategy and the outcome of the forthcoming World Summit in September will indeed be a programme of action and not just a vision," Dr Springer remarked. Dr Springer, who is also chairman of Counterpart Caribbean, a regional nonprofit organisation affiliated with Counterpart International, said the Caribbean must manage downside risks such as natural disasters, isolation from traditional global markets and high costs for energy and transportation, but "we need a dynamic strategy to pursue the upside potential where we have a competitive advantage," he noted, citing, for example, the many products and services from the separation of the sugar cane plant into wax, board, fibre, juice and specialty sugars.

Value-added revenues from the unique 100% pure West Indian sea island cotton; value-added revenues from exotic Caribbean agricultural products and tourism linkage services; and the aggressive exploitation of solar and wind energy, especially the development of solar electricity to be fed into the national electricity grids, were other examples shared by the development expert.

"Donor assistance is important, but we also need to adopt less of a mendicant mentality and show more initiative and confidence in ourselves in pursuit of innovative solutions," said Dr Springer. "Then we can embark on a win-win partnership with the donor partners in promoting socio-economic development across the region."

In Santo Domingo, delegates from across the Caribbean, Central and South America, the Pacific, the United States and Europe are exploring the theme "Environment: Our Partner in Development" during a three-day parley staged by The International Centre for Environmental and Sustainable Development Studies (CIEMADeS) in collaboration with Counterpart International, the Caribbean Media Exchange on Sustainable Tourism (CMEx) and The National Geographic Society.

The talks, which have attracted experts from Barbados to Brazil, are also being coordinated by the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (FUNGLODE), which was set up by the nation’s president Dr Leonel Fern?ndez, Universidad del Turabo in Puerto Rico and the Universit? Quisqueya from Haiti.