In the Caribbean, food security is a heavy concern as threats like climate change have opened the broad spectrum of crop pests and diseases. Global travel and trade are responsible for spreading half of all emerging plant diseases, which have doubled over the last decade. A second factor and threat is the weather as plant diseases i.e. spores can be spread by wind or rain. Once plant pests and diseases establish themselves in new ecosystems, it is costly and time-consuming to remove them.
Food production has become the top priority for many countries. Worldwide, rainfall patterns due to climate change, temperature changes, and extreme droughts and floods have threatened food systems and has resulted in an increase in sea levels, hurricane activities, and loss of fishing grounds which have displaced fishermen.
Sustainable development has helped to prevent threats to food systems. One solution is regenerative agriculture which is a type of system that will help to grow nutritious and adequate food for restoring ecosystems. These ecosystems, in particular, need food systems to restore damaged areas by human activity. The concept of regenerative agriculture is closely related to integrated management like integration of agriculture of forests (agroforestry), livestock farming, resource conservation, and other aspects.
Climate-smart agriculture is being heralded to protect crops against plant pests and diseases. Climate-smart systems like hydroponics, aquaponics, and even aeroponics can be used to grow crops in vulnerable areas that aren’t able to sustain them naturally due to environmental setbacks and help to mitigate the threats to food production.
Source:
IICA – Mexico: Rattan LAL, IIC and Syngenta reaffirm the value of partnerships to transform agri-food systems
CPHD Forum – Food Security initiatives around the region
FAO – Climate change fans spread of pests and threatens plants and crops, new FAO study
USDA – Climate Change, Global Food Security, and the U.S. Food System
