The last decade has seen a growing body of research about globalization and climate change in the Caribbean. This collection is a significant addition to the literature on a topic that is of critical importance to the region. It explores research from a number of Caribbean islands dealing with a range of issues related to agriculture and food in the context of globalization and climate change. Using a broad livelihoods perspective, the impacts on rural livelihoods are explored as well as issues related to community level resilience, adaptability and adaptations. The volume is strengthened by gendered analyses of issues and discussions informed by a diverse range of research methods and methodologies. Scholars of Caribbean studies and studies pertaining to social, cultural, economic and environmental issues facing Small Island Developing States (SIDS) will greatly benefit from this book.

This text presents an analysis of the agricultural and food-producing sector of the English-speaking Caribbean island economies, set in historical perspective. It discusses the reasons for the relative decline of this sector, and the failure of policy proposals for its resuscitation. Issues examined include: the legacy of the plantation economy, which emphasizes luxury export crops over basic food production; the reliance on multinational donor funding for economic development, and the resulting manipulation of agricultural projects by such external agencies; and liberalization of the market economy leading to more underdevelopment of the region and dependence on the international market system.

Agricultural trade is a major factor determining food security in Caribbean countries. In these small open economies, exports are essential, whilst imports provide a large part of the food supply. This book examines various dimensions of trade policy and related issues and suggests policies to address trade and food security and rural development linkages. It is as a guide and reference documents for agricultural trade policy analysts, trade negotiators, policy-makers and planners in both the public and private sectors.

Strategic investments in the agriculture sector are a catalyst for sustainable, economic growth and poverty reduction. Through their partnership, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have produced this comprehensive study on the State of Agriculture in the Caribbean, drawing upon decades of research on the many drivers of change affecting the CDB’s Borrowing Member Countries (BMCs), including international trade, institutional policies, and climate change. This report follows forty years of structural change in the agriculture sector of BMCs, and can support the development of an updated Agriculture Sector Strategy, by identifying key trends in agriculture in BMCs, and the related opportunities for investments in support of growth, poverty reduction, and sustainability. The Study concludes that agriculture can be an important source for economic growth and a key contributor to poverty reduction, particularly for households that are profiting less from the growth in other sectors. Through the promotion of inclusive and sustainable agricultural development, CDB can play an instrumental role in supporting BMCs in meeting their SDGs targets particularly in relation to socio-economic and environmental challenges, including poverty (SDG1) food and nutrition insecurity (SDG2), obesity (SDG3), youth unemployment (SDG8), resilient infrastructure (SDG9), gender inequality (SDG5), sustainable use of natural resources, and climate change (SDG13).

This book provides a multilayered analysis of food import dependency and its impact on food security in the Caribbean region. The study analyses the main impact of trade liberalization in the Caribbean within the WTO framework and main policy mechanisms to support domestic food production in order to reduce food import dependency. Moreover, the author evaluates economic and social benefits of food self-sufficiency as a strategy aimed to improve domestic food production by increased availability of locally produced food products.

This publication summarizes the agricultural policy analyses conducted in nine Caribbean countries (Suriname, Guyana, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Belize, Barbados, The Bahamas, and Trinidad and Tobago) in the framework of the IDB’s Agrimonitor initiative. The document discusses how agricultural policies affect producers and consumers as well as how the limited funding for agricultural services, such as research and infrastructure, could limit the ability of Caribbean farmers to compete effectively in global markets. The analyses presented are therefore meant to contribute to the Caribbean’s regional dialogue for the design of more effective agricultural policies, which will be able to strengthen the sector and improve the lives of people in the region.