Photo by Aston Spaulding
Deputy Principal of UWI, Mona, Joe Pereira (left), responds to questions from potential UWI law students at the Open House hosted by the campus on Wednesday, July 29, to introduce the undergraduate degree in law. Topics such as financing options, course offerings and programme requirements were discussed.

Everyone needs food to live. Securing enough food to feed ourselves and our families is one of the most important functions governments have to perform. Recently, Jamaica and other Caribbean countries have been faced with a food crisis involving finding money to pay for food we import as well as finding sufficient quantities of food to meet demand.

High import bill

Last year alone the food import bill of most developing countries rose by some 25 per cent, forcing governments to impose price controls on the taxes we pay for food. One of the ways in which countries have tried to deal with this problem is by encouraging local farmers to grow the food we need to feed ourselves. Govern-ments use this approach because they recognise the relationship between those who sell and buy food.

According to Dr Lloyd Waller, lead researcher and lecturer in Methodology, Faculty of Social Sciences, concerns about the reduction in food export, increasing food prices, rising production costs and more worldwide competition, prompted this research by the University of the West Indies (UWI) about the future of agriculture in Jamaica and the Caribbean. The research looked at and tried to understand the link between buyers and sellers in the local market, and the problems and challenges faced in creating a better organised and more successful food supply.

Some initial findings, however, show that there is a serious lack of understanding between those who buy and sell food in the island, meaning local farmers cannot meet the demands of local buyers. This problem has been labelled the agriculture-food disconnect.

Public discussion

UWI hopes the project will encourage public discussion around the issues. A series of education programmes, town-hall meetings, workshops, seminars and conferences are ongoing.

Members of the public are invited to visit the UWI booth at the Denbigh show.

Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Dr Ronald Robinson, has said that the Future Leadership Jamaican Diaspora Conference, slated for August 3-10 on the Mona campus, will provide the opportunity for young Jamaicans in the Diaspora to contribute to national development while networking with their local and overseas counterparts.

"The main outcome will be the formulation of strategies and action plans to assist in the sharing of information, exchange of ideas and the provision of opportunities for future leaders to facilitate national development, while strengthening the network of younger leadership in the Diaspora," he stated.

The event will see youth leaders from Jamaica and the Diaspora converging to discuss critical developmental issues. More than 230 young Jamaican nationals residing in England, the US and Canada, and some 150 young people from Jamaica are expected to participate.

The state minister said the Conference was a directive of the 2006 and 2008 Jamaican Diaspora conferences in Kingston, which identified the need to engage young Jamaicans living overseas in the country's progress.