Food for thought

Namdevco also holds the market at locations in Macoya, Debe, Point Fortin, Valencia, Chaguanas and Diego Martin. About 150 farmers sell and it is estimated that about 2,000 customers buy. The venture is not only just a retail one. Visitors also benefit from information about eating healthy, buying local.

Training programmes for persons interested in farming and other marketing services are offered.

The Farmers’ Market is part of a trend which sees more consciousness on food, its production and its implications for our quality of life.

A similar exercise has been taking place at the San Antonio Green Market at Santa Cruz. And recently, the NCG Bocas Lit Fest hosted a workshop for writers on food-writing, revolving on reportage of issues that are impacting food sustainability.

Today, as we mark World Food Day, we reflect on all of these issues.

We also question the extent to which our agriculture sector has been organized to take advantage of the local and global trends towards greater food consciousness.

Food is part and parcel of our lives. We revolve around it literally and figuratively. Our cities have been shaped by the dynamics of markets at places like Charlotte Street and Prince Street in Port of Spain. More fundamentally, we rely on produce to give us the nourishment we need.

Food security should be an important matter for any society. It is not acceptable that we rely on pricey imports to meet the needs of our population. A truly mature society should be able to produce its own food, exploit locally available resources and impose its own scheme of regulation to allow greater control of standards.

The perils of food imports were flagged during the last parliamentary session when a committee heard concerns about imported chicken, which led to further revelations that our local lab facilities are not conducting checks that should be made.

But it is not just imports that we have to worry about. The recent fiasco over oil-spills in the Gulf of Paria and questions about the contagion of bottom-feeding fishstock show the soft spots in our regulation. We have sent this matter to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for them to test samples. But it is not clear how long this process will take. Meanwhile, Minister of Agriculture Clarence Rambharat assures that fish is safe to eat, even pending the testing.

Not only do we have enormous problems policing our food safety (the first kills started since July) but there are also doubts over food storage. Do we have adequate storage facilities? For what period do they cover? The food issue is also related to our climate and El Nino patterns.

As was the case centuries ago, climate change has affected weather patterns to the extent that it is impacting on countries’ ability to produce the yields needed to survive.

Locally, we have witnessed our own weather become more extreme.

We suffer hotter temperatures and continue to endure the effects of ordinary showers, such as flooding and landslides. These problems are more likely to affect the West, Central and indeed all parts of the country. Yet, are we taking climate change seriously? Does it feature in our politics as it does, say, in the US presidential election? Will we ever be self-sufficient? Will we ever utilize Guyana’s open invitation for us to engage in joint, large-scale farming there? Is our Agricultural Development Bank really working? And are we properly monitoring what is being produced, who is producing and for where? If food is our future, we have to start serving a better meal.