Food Security in Focus at the Central Bank of Barbados’ Caribbean Economic Forum

“Addressing Food Security in the Caribbean” will be the focus of the upcoming edition of the Central Bank of Barbados’ Caribbean Economic Forum, which takes place on Wednesday, July 12 at 8:00 p.m. The event will be broadcast live on CBC TV8 and livestreamed on the Bank’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

“For many people in the region, it is not a given that they will have access to enough food to feed themselves or their families,” said Novaline Brewster, Chief of Corporate Communications at the Central Bank. “In fact, the World Food Programme and CARICOM conducted a survey earlier this year that found that 52 percent of the population of the English-speaking Caribbean, some 3.7 million people, are food insecure. We felt it important to explore the reasons for this, and, critically, how we can address it. To do this, we have assembled a panel of experts, including representatives from both the World Food Programme and the CARICOM Secretariat.”

Those officials are Regis Chapman, Representative and Country Director of the World Food Programme’s Caribbean Multi-Country Office, and Joseph Cox, the CARICOM Secretariat’s Assistant Secretary-General, Economic Integration, Innovation and Development. They will be joined by S. Michael McLaughlin, Co-Founder and Volunteer Secretary-Treasurer of Trees That Feed Foundation, a non-profit organisation whose mission is to plant fruit-bearing trees to feed people, create jobs, and benefit the environment.

“Our goal for this discussion is two-fold. First, for viewers to walk away with a better understanding of what is contributing to food insecurity and how they can help to mitigate it in their communities. And second, to come up with actionable insights that policymakers can use to address this problem at a national and regional level. We encourage everyone to tune in to learn more about this issue that, in very real terms, has implications for our lives and livelihoods.”

The Caribbean Economic Forum is part of the Central Bank of Barbados’ public outreach and thought-leadership programme. Past forums have included discussions on non-communicable diseases and the impact of the region’s ageing population crisis on national insurance schemes and other social safety nets.