59 / 218
[
] 59
T
HE FIRST OF
the Millennium Development Goals (MDG)
focuses on eradicating extreme poverty and hunger. In
developing countries, growth of the agricultural sector
is one of the keys to reaching this MDG. In these countries,
where poverty is often associated with rural communities, agri-
cultural growth also goes hand-in-hand with socio-economic
development, including livelihood security and food security.
Weather and climate help to determine the agricultural activ-
ity and productivity of an area. Weather information can
facilitate decision making with regards to the scheduling of
activities such as land preparation, sowing, harvesting, irriga-
tion timing and quantities, and timing of chemical spraying.
Climate influences longer term planning, such as choice of
farming, crop variety, irrigation and pest control systems.
1
One
challenge to agricultural sustainability is variability in weather
and climate. Climate variability contributes significantly to
both transitory and chronic poverty and food insecurity.
2
In
the Caribbean, rainfall has for a long time been acknowledged
as the most limiting and variable meteorological influence on
agriculture. For this reason, the amount of water available for
crops has always been given priority. In many cases, deficits in
available water are made up by irrigation. On the other hand,
flooding is the most common hazard in Caribbean community
and common market (CARICOM) states, resulting in major
agricultural losses.
3
Agriculture and food in CARICOM
Traditionally, most of the Caribbean practised estate or plan-
tation monoculture inherited from colonial days. The primary
focus of this form of agriculture was export to Europe. These
markets were often protected with guaranteed prices for
commodities such as sugar and bananas at higher than global
market prices through conventions such as Lomé. In the post
World Trade Organization (WTO) period, foreign exchange
earned from agriculture by CARICOM states decreased due to
the loss of preferential markets in Europe. Limited human and
capital resources were reallocated away from agriculture. Many
farms and estates moved away from agriculture thereby increas-
ing unemployment, poverty and food insecurity. Many
migrated to or sought work in urban areas.
As a consequence of this, CARICOM states became net food
importers (except for Guyana and Belize). The economic and
social fallout from the removal of preferential markets has forced
the region to change its approach to the agricultural sector. For
example, many states are engaging in discussions and activities
that enhance the value of agriculture. In Barbados, for example,
the dominance of sugar cane in the agricultural sector has been
maintained through the introduction of varieties of sugar cane
that are particularly suited to the production of biofuels. In his
discussion of the ‘new agriculture’ for CARICOM, Atkins
outlines a paradigm shift which “entails efficiency in resource
use and competitiveness in production.”
4
It seems widely
accepted that use of weather and climate information must play
a greater role in Caribbean agriculture if resources are to be used
efficiently to make agriculture more competitive.
Weather and climate in CARICOM agriculture
The farming community in the Caribbean has benefited in the
past from weather forecasts which they have used, and
continue to use, in short term decision making. The Caribbean
Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) also produces
a seasonal rainfall outlook, which can be used in longer term
planning and decision making.
5
These products, however, are
not necessarily tailored for the agricultural community and
can at times use language difficult for agricultural workers to
interpret and use in the management of their activities.
Across the world, hazards and uncertainties associated with
climate variability have contributed to poverty and food inse-
curity. Events such as droughts, floods and tropical cyclones
have wrought havoc on agricultural systems worldwide. Poor
communities that rely on small scale farming and fishing for
food and livelihoods, are impacted most.
6
Rainfall variability
poses the major threat to Caribbean agriculture as it is not
unusual to have significant dry spells in the wet season, just as
there can be significant flood events during the dry season.
7
In recent times, the agricultural sectors in CARICOM states
have been experiencing significant financial losses from
extreme weather events. Etched in our memories are the devas-
tation of the spice industry in Grenada by hurricane Ivan in
2004 and the floods in the coastal areas of Guyana in 2005 and
2006. In Grenada, direct and indirect damage to the agricul-
tural sector totalled almost USD40 million and 91 per cent of
forest and watersheds were stripped of vegetation. Damage to
the nutmeg subsector bore major implications for the approx-
imately 30,720 persons it directly and indirectly employs.
8
The
floods in Guyana from January to February 2005 caused
approximately USD55 million in damage, directly and indi-
rectly, to the agricultural sector, which in 2004 accounted for
35.4 per cent of Guyana’s gross domestic product (GDP).
9
A
similar flood event in 2006 caused total losses to the sector of
USD22.5 million.
Droughts and dry spells have long been associated with crop
failure in Caribbean agriculture. The El Niño/Southern
Oscillation (ENSO) is seen as the major cause of drought in
Weather and climate in
Caribbean agriculture
Adrian R. Trotman, Agrometeorologist, Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology