Agricultural revolution still required

“Now this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” — 2 Corinthians 9:6 Last week’s column recalled that, in 1968, I returned to the Caribbean to establish a Biometrics Unit to accelerate agricultural development. In 2026, I am arguing for a Shepherding Unit to accelerate export-led agricultural development.
Science remains essential, but without shepherding, we have been spinning top in mud.

I concluded that we should move Upwards and Onwards — but this time, let us plan, organise, staff, execute, monitor and control.
On reflection, I said much of this seven years ago in my August 19, 2019 column, “Agricultural Revolution.” I repeat it here because new leadership is now involved in agriculture and may have missed the message.
Much water has flowed under the bridge since the abolition of slavery in the 19th Century. Some of the Caribbean’s fertile lands remain available for cultivation, although land-use policy has shifted significantly away from agriculture.
Nothing short of an agricultural revolution is required to make these lands productive again, rather than allowing them to lie fallow and become threats to public health. Since the Moyne Report was published in 1945, there has been much discussion but little sustained action.

The essential ingredients of an agricultural revolution are clearly defined markets; a marketdriven selection of fresh and processed agricultural products; innovation; shepherding and management; private sector investment; and smart partnerships.
Political will is also essential. The government’s responsibility is to establish sound policy and provide a user-friendly enabling environment in which private sector businesses can thrive.
The Caribbean has no federal government.

Private sector initiatives must therefore be pursued at the country level. As each country learns, its experiences can be shared with others, allowing the region to advance collectively.
My experience has taught me that:
1. There is always a global food market.
2. There is no shortage of innovative ideas.
3. Shepherding and management expertise is available locally, regionally and internationally.
4. The lack of government incentives to stimulate private sector investment is the single greatest constraint to progress.
5. We have been myopic in promoting smart partnerships and developing the synergies these relationships can produce.
Let me share a potential solution through an innovative example.

In January 2015, principals of the Global Business Innovation Corporation (GBIC) — a group of professional colleagues from the Caribbean, the United States and Mexico — visited Trinidad and Tobago, where I was then living.
GBIC invited local food manufacturers to a presentation titled The Caribbean Food Revolution, which outlined how Caribbean economies could grow through increased agricultural, agribusiness and food and beverage exports.
The manufacturers were very interested in expanding their businesses in response to potential demand from the US market. However, the project never got off the ground because of the lack of government incentives to stimulate private sector investment, even though the quantum of private sector savings was significant.

The broad objective of the GBIC proposal was to transform the Caribbean agricultural environment by combining:
1. Food-design skills and expertise to transform agricultural commodities and existing products and services into high-value food and beverage experiences that meet the needs of consumers in the United States, Canada, Europe and the wider world.
2. Open-innovation expertise to identify and evaluate the technologies needed to develop high-value products, while creating partnerships with foreign manufacturers and retailers willing to sell Caribbean food and beverage products or license their formulas.
3. Shepherding expertise and tools to increase efficiency, productivity, manufacturing capacity and the expansion of food and beverage businesses.
4. Marketing and communications expertise to promote the vision, opportunities and progress of a Caribbean Food Business Innovation Revolution.
Now is the time to revolutionise our approach to agricultural development by implementing a global, market-driven strategy. This will allow our farmers to sow bountifully and receive just rewards for their efforts.

Dr Basil Springer GCM is a corporate governance adviser. Email: basilgf@ marketplaceexcellence.com. Previous columns may be found at www.nothingbeatsbusiness.com.