Climate Change – A Cause for Major Concern

Have you ever sat down and wondered what is happening to our weather pattern on this side of the globe, the Western hemisphere? We have heard a lot about climate change, food crisis, global warming, extreme weather patterns such as El Nino and La Nina. Maybe it has not yet registered in our minds the extent of damage or the significant effects these extreme weather patterns are having on our economies as small vulnerable states.

Let’s just look at some of this year’s rainfall data as provided by the Meteorological Offices at both Canefield and Melville Hall. Just a quick comparison of five years data for the January to May period shows very significant changes in the volume of rainfall registered at the two stations. We are already looking at possible record breaking rainfall figures for 2009. I am not at liberty to divulge the raw data to you but it does look like this year may very well be one of the wettest years. Yet we still don’t know what to expect for this hurricane season (we are praying for the best anyway). We have been getting moderate to heavy showers from the beginning of 2009 up until now, with very short bursts of extremely hot sunshine in between.

The fact remains that the recent shifts in weather pattern have affected our agriculture to the extent that the seasonality and productivity of certain crops has been severely altered. Our avocado, mangos and many other fruit trees do not bear as profusely as they used to. The whole earthly cycle is changing and it would seem that all of creation is groaning and yearning for a return to those bountiful years.

I was reminded recently that Dominica is or should I say was the bread basket of the region (more precisely the OECS) but this prestigious position is quickly being lost to islands such as St Lucia, Trinidad and even the French West Indian islands (Martinique and Guadeloupe) with whom significant trade has been undertaken for many years. The question then must be asked, are our agricultural authorities taking note of this radical paradigm shift; a major shift that could pose a serious threat to food security in Dominica? Just look at what happened to bananas after hurricane Dean in 2007 when we could hardly find a green banana in the market. People went around stealing whatever immature bananas they could find to cook for their families or to sell at much higher prices. We must face it people. Our production of crops has diminished to the extent that many lands remain idle and abandoned. Have we considered the possible repercussions to this phenomenon?   Have we attempted to identify the cause of it and how best to mitigate or simply stop this trend? This will take a bit of listening and adherence to advice from those who are in authority. It is not a daunting task. We may feel that our country’s success lies with tourism and other industries but take it from me friend…Dominica is and will remain a country whose economy will be supported by a vibrant Agricultural sector. Tourism dollars are of course welcome but what is hindering us from supplying these vessels with top quality fruits and vegetables grown from our fertile soils.

Let’s do the planning now. Let’s work out the math and come up with workable solutions. And we need to stop doing things in isolation. This is exactly what happens when there is no planning. Planning will mean that we deal with ongoing issues such as Praedial Larceny. Some people take pleasure in reaping where they did not sow, cashing in on the sweat and toils of the few remaining hard working framers.

The deliberate weaving of all these issues into this one document is meant to paint the bigger picture of how important it is to pay attention to all related issues and not just the ones we feel are easier to handle. It is time that we take up the challenges and find out how we can move the agricultural sector ahead. Recent consultations, symposiums and workshops seem to be dragging along with no apparent sectoral results.  Let us use the talk and opinion shows to bring out the great ideas that are out there and not waste time fighting each other and in the process disgrace ourselves and our beloved country. Let all ideas contend, have brainstorming sessions engage our brilliant minds as think tanks to bring out the best and workable solutions for every challenge that we face. We are all in this together.

Then we must look at our Land Use Policy. Is there such a mechanism in place and is it being enforced? We seem to have a real problem enforcing laws, rules and regulations. Why put them on the books if we don’t have the guts to implement them? Why the waste of resources? I am hoping though that when the Multipurpose Packhouses being built with EU funds are completed they will become operational and not underutilized. What needs to happen is a campaign mounted to get locals back to the land to produce more but this time in an organized way.

Our people need to be told in plain English that the land is one of our greatest resources. This language needs to be spoken and lived out by our leaders. Our governments need to invest heavily in this sector to see it thrive and become significant. Spend some money to develop regional markets while at the same time developing our products to become highly competitive and adding value to them. Move away from the primary products and support our small and medium sized enterprises such as Benjo’s, Bello, Nature Fresh, Coal Pot and others who are willing to make a difference but in most cases lack the financial capacity to do so. That’s where the idea of Commercial Kitchens can be included to provide that initial technical and professional support for our entrepreneurs, so many of whom have abandoned those brilliant new product ideas because of little or no support from government agencies. These agencies are most times ill equipped to engage in meaningful developmental support for these struggling companies.

We need to look at the whole picture and get it right. We normally in Total Quality Management talk about getting it right the first time. I believe we cannot afford to make any more mistakes. We need to do it right whether it is our first or the second time around.