Editorial | Beryl – a taste of pain

Members of the island’s agricultural sector are at this time counting their losses as they continue to assess the damage to crops, livestock and infrastructure, wrought by Hurricane Beryl earlier this week. It’s a ritual that is undertaken almost annually, as record-breaking storms bear down on the region with great regularity.

Often overlooked, it is at times like these that most people recognise that agriculture plays an extremely vital role in society by providing the food we eat and creating jobs for about 20 per cent of the population, particularly in rural communities. With extensive damage to crops reported in the parishes of Manchester, Clarendon and St Elizabeth, the country must now brace for higher prices for farm products in the weeks ahead. This is inevitable and will certainly turn back efforts to be less reliant on imports.

Highly compromised by severe weather conditions, the agricultural sector is often shunned in a country which is susceptible particularly to hurricanes and drought at the other extreme. So, investment in ventures that put funds behind food production, processing and distribution have remained low. However, if the demand for fresh, locally grown food cannot be met, then the alternative is to import. With concerns swirling around GMO foods and other additives, imported foods are not always deemed reliable.

COPING SKILLS

To their credit, the sector has developed its own unique coping skills over the years, but now the stakes are higher than before, making it imperative that the Ministry of Agriculture and its agencies use all available resources to help farmers implement smart solutions. For example, is it time to move crops to higher ground where they are less vulnerable to storm surges? Should farmers be aiming to establish greenhouses that are powered by clean energy where crops can be grown in a self-regulating, controlled microclimate? Should farmers switch to more hardy varieties of vegetables and fruits?

We note that, prior to the hurricane, the Ministry of Agriculture dispatched extension officers to flood-prone areas, to help farmers prepare for the anticipated rains. Meanwhile, several drains and waterways were cleared.

Large commercial farms which produce primarily for the export market would be properly insured. But it makes sense that every farmer, however small, should have an emergency action plan. This calls for a strategy that includes risk protection. At least one local insurance company has reportedly created special protection for farmers and fisherfolk, which no doubt allows farmers to go about growing crops and producing livestock, confident of protection in the event of disaster. Perhaps more insurance companies should get together and consider ways in which they can create policies to protect farmers and sustain the sector for the future.

HAMMERED REPEATEDLY

The concept of eating what we grow has been hammered repeatedly into and, now more than ever, it should resonate with urban dwellers. As we continue to assess Beryl’s impact, maybe more people will come to appreciate the wisdom of having backyard gardens or container gardens, producing short-growing crops which can be absorbed by the family.

Our farmers are familiar with the devastation and loss that accompany hurricanes and other systems such as flooding and drought. As more formidable hurricanes make landfall in Jamaica, there also needs to be a sector-wide conversation among small-scale mixed-farmers (growing crops and raising livestock) and the ministry about developing flood-tolerant varieties of certain critical crops.

Beryl has come early in the Atlantic hurricane season which ends in November, and we are likely to taste more pain before it’s all over. This serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of agriculture in the face of climate-related challenges. The likely impacts on the domestic market will remain a concern over the next few months.