Audia Barnett, Contributor

Barnett

Food, often described as the 'staff of life', has been known to be linked as much to war as to love! And still, meeting basic food requirements is proving almost impossible for some countries. This has resulted in the heart-rending images of hungry children seen on TV from time to time. Actually, poverty has been inextricably linked to malnutrition, and strangely enough the world has witnessed enormous progress in areas such as technology, the gap between the rich and the poor is actually widening. This is the recent word from a World Bank report.

The domino effect triggered by climate change has catalysed extreme environmental maladies such as drought and floods, in the most vulnerable of nations, such as in Sub-Sahara Africa, worsening their dilemma. In stark contrast, over-nutrition, resulting in obesity and various non-communicable illnesses, is still prevalent in the industrialised, more wealthy nations.

Robust public-health system

Jamaica is fortunate to have had a relatively robust public-health system, which, together with the widely distributed diversity of agricultural commodities, use of indigenous knowledge, and plain 'ole time' looking out for one's neighbour, have helped to keep us in the 'safe mode'. In other words, we still have to be vigilant in applying preventative health care while promoting tenets of proper nutrition, food safety and healthy lifestyles. So, do we really need to worry about food?

For centuries, man has benefited from experiencing foods from different countries. Some exotic fruits that we now boast actually originated in far-away lands. Trading in foodstuff got a tremendous boost with globalisation, when even a small business in a remote village could access sophisticated markets across the globe.

Over the past 10 to 15 years, trading in food commodities between North and South has experienced a roller-coaster ride. The initial enthusiasm experienced with new opportunities unveiled, was quickly tempered by the structures that were put in place. Various enabling facilities, such as the Cotonou Agreement, which sought to assist African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP)/European Union (EU) trade relations in the new paradigm established, proved to involve more discussion than effective action. As incidences involving food occurred, tighter controls were understandably established.

The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), established over 20 years ago, has been working with ACP countries to improve their competitiveness in the European marketplace. A recent publication of the CTA, 'Spore', noted: "Producers seeking to export to the EU are already subject to a battery of phytosanitary, residue and traceability regulations.

Additional requirements to provide proof of compliance threaten to prove a heavy burden for ACP countries, which will need support in installing inspection services and training staff to run them." It noted that small-scale producers are "almost certain to suffer as a result, as the ripple effect of the farm-to-fork policy works its way down the supply chain."

Farm-to-fork policy

This is a real problem for our farmers here in Jamaica. Yam, for example, is a major export crop to the EU.

Implementing the farm-to-fork policy, would mean that the burden of proof would lie with us to show that we have the technical facilities, personnel and capabilities to trace the origin of the yam, check the residues of selected pesticides and heavy metals, as well as confirm its microbiological/biological safety. There is no doubt that we have facilities and trained personnel to do this. But what of the systems, the time and the cost involved? There are tremendous opportunities for our small farmers to export tamarind, pineapple, guava, pepper and even eggplant to the EU, but in order to capitalise, a well-resourced, enabling, support mechanism has to be in place in order to 'flex' with the evolving targets.

Food miles

A glance at the list of ACP exporters to the EU indicates that the Caribbean countries could be doing a lot more; however, we need to be aware of the constant stream of challenges. Recent indications are that the environmental cost of importing foodstuff from countries will be used to conduct a cost-benefit analysis before doing business.

'Food miles' is a term coined to depict the number of miles the food has to travel from field to plate. Why is this important? This travel adds substantially to the carbon dioxide emissions that are contributing to climate change. A report by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs says that food miles rose by 15 per cent between 1992 and 2002.

So, as we grapple with various measures for reducing the impact of climate change, we find ourselves faced with a catch-22 situation. Again, the burden of proof is ours.

Earlier this year, U.K. consumers were urged to adopt 'Food patriotism', reducing the food miles associated with the food being purchased. Exporting countries such as ours need to conduct the requisite research to ascertain whether this is a justifiable rationale. What are the other hidden costs associated? What of the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of small farmers in Africa?

The controversy of crops for food or fuel is yet another matter.

Indeed, we take a lot for granted. The luxury of experiencing another culture via the exotic products produced in a far-away, often romanticised land, is fast disappearing.

Audia Barnett is Executive Director of the Scientific Research Council.