Ambassador Brathwaite knows food security. Listen to him.

Barbados finds itself in the unenviable position of being a food-insecure nation. As Ambassador Chelston Brathwaite powerfully outlines, we currently produce only 20 per cent of the food we consume, leaving us dangerously dependent on imports. With global shipping issues, climate change, and conflicts like the war in Ukraine driving up food prices worldwide, our already high food import bill is set to increase substantially in 2024.

This striking level of food insecurity represents an existential threat to the sustainable development of our nation. Beyond the economic vulnerability of being beholden to other countries for our food supply, our reliance on imported processed foods high in salt, sugar, and unhealthy fats is quite literally killing us. Barbados suffers from extremely high rates of diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and obesity – chronic non-communicable diseases that can be directly linked to poor nutrition and diets centred around imported junk food rather than fresh, local produce.

The data are staggering – eight out of ten deaths in Barbados are caused by these preventable illnesses. One in three of our children is already overweight or obese, putting them at grave risk for developing NCDs like their parents. Productivity is being decimated, healthcare costs are soaring, and economic growth is being massively constrained as our human capital is sapped by widespread, diet-driven disease.

Clearly, the path to greater national sovereignty, better public health outcomes, lower healthcare expenditures, and a brighter future for coming generations lies in prioritising food security through robust domestic agricultural production.

We must heed Ambassador Brathwaite’s call and rapidly form the proposed task force to chart a course towards food independence and nutritional self-sufficiency.

This multifaceted task force, pulling in all relevant government agencies, private sector groups, nutrition experts, and other key stakeholders, should be empowered to conduct a thorough examination of our food import bill and local production capabilities. Sensible policies, incentives, financing mechanisms, and public-private partnerships can then be crafted to rapidly scale domestic agriculture and replace imported staples with locally-grown, healthier equivalents wherever possible.

In addition to direct production support, we must invest in developing processing capacity, storage, and distribution networks to get more fresh homegrown produce into shops, restaurants, schools, and homes across the island at affordable prices. A public education campaign touting the benefits of nutritious, Bajan-grown fruits and vegetables should go hand-in-hand with these steps.

The government’s new school nutrition policy is a good start, but a much bolder, whole-of-society effort is urgently needed. Food security is not a partisan issue – it is an issue of national survival. The sustainability of our economy, public health system, workforce, and human potential all hinge on our ability to feed ourselves with quality, locally sourced food.

And in this case, the message is no less irrepressible than the messenger. As a former director of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), he has an intimate understanding of agricultural policies, food systems, and the challenges facing developing economies in feeding their populations. His tenure as our ambassador to China also likely afforded him insights into that country’s relatively successful shift towards greater food self-sufficiency. And his recent service as an independent senator demonstrates his commitment to advocating for pragmatic, non-partisan solutions in the national interest. With such a wealth of relevant experience, Ambassador Brathwaite brings immense expertise and credibility to this issue that demands we take his proposals seriously.

Prime Minister Mottley’s vision through the Mission Barbados initiative is to transform our island into a “sustainable, prosperous, inclusive and resilient nation”. But that goal will remain elusive if we don’t solve the food security crisis. The government ought swiftly to form and empower the proposed food security task force to do just that. Our future prosperity and the health of every Bajan depends on it.