The weaknesses of the economies of St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Barbados, as well as other small countries that rely on tourism, has been greatly endangered by COVID.
Usually, these economies face a scarcity of agricultural land, small and frequently dispersed communities, fragile natural ecosystems, reliance on imported energy, great susceptibility to global warming as well as natural catastrophes, and high incidence of diet-related disease. These nations have likewise had significant amounts of foreign and domestic liabilities in the latest days.
The recent eruption of La Soufrière volcano in St. Vincent and the Grenadines exacerbated the dire scenario for these tiny economies. On April 9, at 8:41 a.m., the volcano erupted, releasing a plume of ash that floated into the Atlantic Ocean.
Successive eruptions have only served to exacerbate the issue. Around 20,000 residents in St. Vincent were forced to flee their houses and would not be ready to revert for at minimum three or four months. The drinking water supply to much of the island has been disrupted, as well as the presence of smoke and ash has prompted the closing of the airspace.
From an economic, health, social, and safety standpoint, this tragedy has far-reaching consequences for St. Vincent. The natural disaster is wreaking havoc on agriculture, as farmers in the impacted area were forced to leave, abandoning their crops as well as leaving their animals alone. In the brief period, there will be a significant drop in agricultural productivity.
Agriculture, mainly banana cultivation, has been the backbone of St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ economy since the 1950s. Tourism, industry, as well as banking have all become major economic areas in recent years.
Considering the crop’s vulnerability to storms, drought, and pests, it has faced significant problems. St. Vincent has recently focused on agriculture development, and now exports a wide range of vegetables and fruits to the U.k, as well as cattle to the Caribbean market. The fishing business is also an important source of revenue.
Effect on the whole Caribbean
The volcano’s explosion would exacerbate the predicament of the East Caribbean’s tourism-dependent businesses, since its impacts have extended to Barbados, Saint Lucia, as well as other nearby regions.
The volcano’s explosion would exacerbate the predicament of the East Caribbean’s tourism-dependent businesses, since its impacts have extended to Barbados, Saint Lucia, as well as other nearby regions.
Natural catastrophes are also a major threat to Caribbean countries. Hurricanes are prevalent in the region, as Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 and Hurricane Dorian in 2019 shown.
As a result, governments must be prepared to deal with potentially comparable occurrences in 2021. A single hurricane in the Caribbean may wipe out a tiny island’s yearly GDP, with the poor bearing the brunt of the damage.
To secure people’s lives and livelihoods, precautions must be adopted.
There is a chance to restructure the agrifood industry of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the light of the volcanic eruption, the outbreak, as well as an approaching hurricane season from June to November. The first stage entails reaffirming the agricultural sector’s key role in ensuring food security, creating jobs, and combating the high prevalence of chronic noncommunicable illnesses in the Caribbean.
In response to the call for the creation of a Caribbean Food Plan and a Caribbean Food Security Development Fund, the time has come to engage in joint, collaborative work based on the Regional Food and Nutrition Security Policy approved in 2010 and the Regional Food and Nutrition Security Action Plan 2012-2026.
It is no coincidence that at the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Summit in February 2020, Barbados Prime Minister, Honorable Mia Amor Mottley, then-chair of the regional organisation, stated that food security is a critical issue for the region and invited the private sector to submit proposals aimed at reducing food imports by 25% by 2025.
Regional integration through a single, shared market and economic union would be critical foundations of economic rebuilding. As a result, the Caribbean Food Plan must encourage collaborative measures to capitalise on national comparative advantages such as land, water, and markets, as well as create strategic collaborations between governments and the business sector.
Coordination among national, regional, and international agencies will be required to carry out this agenda.
Working side by side with national and international partners to lay the foundation for a “new” agriculture sector in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and by extension, the Caribbean region as a whole, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) stands ready to serve as a bridge for cooperation and as a unifying force in this broad partnership.
IICA expresses its sympathy for the government and people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as all Caribbean countries still recovering from the epidemic and this tragic natural calamity.
• Manuel Otero is the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture’s (IICA) director general.
• IICA’s director general emeritus is Chelston Brathwaite.
