The BBC Caribbean Interactive special put the questions on what the region can do to become more self sufficient and what sort of agricultural plan is needed.

Listen again to BBC Caribbean InterActive on the food crisis

Online forum

If you missed the chance to take part in the programme, the debate continues online.

The food crisis is 'biting' in the Caribbean, as it is in other parts of the world.

In recent years agriculture in the Caribbean has been on the decline.

How are you coping?

Are governments doing enough?

Is agriculture the answer?

I was born in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and there is a lot of rich fertile land in the Windward, and also the Leeward side of the Island. In Kingstown, everyone knows where Green Hill is located. This is plush, fertile agricultural land, where all types of food can be grown. Yes, it's possible to grow food in the Caribbean! Those Islands that have the capability need to stop messing around. When the Tourist industry declines - and yes it will - most West Indians will need to be a lot more innovative. Hold your Governments accountable for all the mess that they continue to perpetuate on the population. And yes, vote them out if they don't deliver what they promise. Time is running out.
Rose, USA

This one is not for the food crisis debate.(Regarding the banana industry and the biased EU pricing the Caribbean should actively seek new markets for this product. For example dehydrated ripe bananas fetch a very good price in the US and Canada supermarkets and speciality stores sell it in the islands as dried fruit.
C Sealy
USA

Jamaica - known as land of wood & water faces a number of problems - soil depletion, a focus on the service industry rather than agriculture, poor farming management, importation of cheaper foreign goods, etc. The government needs to provide incentives for farmers and engage in more efficient farming techniques. It should also protect farmers from competition for a limited period of time.
Cireta Knowles
Jamaica

I don’t live in the Caribbean but I was born in St Vincent and I think the island is blessed with good fertile soil. The food crisis is biting the Caribbean due to lack of good agricultural planning. For instance, the politicians need to consider agriculture as a lucrative commodity. The initial step is to teach agriculture in schools and help farmers to invest in land ploughing machinery. Gone are the days when people used to manually cultivate farmland in the hot sun.
The Caribbean nations are too dependent on imported goods and Caribbean people need to forego the ‘tourist’ mentality, that is, they think all vegetables and fruit should be bought from the supermarket when they have excellent soil conditions to grow some of their own.
Annice Browne,
UK

We have a major challenge in the Caribbean in that we do not have the landmass to produce wheat in abundance or to have economies of scale to bring down the cost of producing it. This leaves us at the mercy of the larger countries like the US who have forged ahead haphazardly with production of bio-fuels such as ethanol. It also means that we cannot take the handle on that issue and control it for ourselves. In addition to that, too many of our Caribbean nations are only ready to come together to face down such challenges when times get tough as they are now. Even then we still get more rhetoric than action from our leaders as they get consumed with petty squabbles and with staying power.
Jermaine Lake
Basseterre, St Kitts

The reliance on imported food is a serious problem for the following reasons:
Food aid depresses local prices for basic grains, reducing incentives for Haitian farmers to grow them. Imported food distributed as food aid drives down prices for rice, millet, and other cereals in Haiti. This has discouraged Haitian farmers from growing basic grains, increasing Haiti's dependence on imported food.
Food aid shifts consumption patterns away from locally produced goods in favour of imported goods. As Haitians incorporate these products into their diets, growers of local grains such as corn (maize) - which grows well in Haiti's mountainous terrain - have seen shrinking demand for their products. This breeds dependency, undermines food security and creates an unsustainable reliance on imported food.
Charles Arthur

Agriculture is on a decline in the Caribbean because of the lack of incentives for our farmers, off course with the change in climate and all certain strategies have to be placed to maintain the capacity of farmers. Times are becoming very frustrating for locals in Dominica and as a matter of fact plantain is much cheaper in the super markets when compared to the ones in the local market. I think the entire system needs to be rearranged. We are talking price control and the whole nine yards of implementation of strategies.
Naomi Thomas
Roseau, Dominica

It will be a very good undertaking if the politicians of the regions could see the wisdom in it. But I have no confidence that we could pull this off with our present form of politics and separation.
Winston Garraway
Garraway, St George's

It is very sad that the Caribbean region could be suffering from a food prices crisis of this magnitude. Undoubtedly we have brought this situation upon ourselves. We have grown too dependent on imported food products and the lack of innovative and realistic responses by our regional governments and people have perpetuated the situation. The tax reliefs that are brandished as a solution to this growing problem are no more but short term measures and eventually we are back to where we have started.
Victor
Roseau, Dominica

To John from the US I say that the Caribbean receives more than enough rainfall for rain fed agriculture to be sufficient. We do not have the money to invest in large scale irrigation. I'm sick of hearing this issue being hashed out over and over. Caribbean leaders know what needs to be done to solve the problem but have been resting on their laurels on the issue. As stated here, take advantage of each island's unique condition to grow the most suitable crops, plan this so that all foods which can be grown in the Caribbean is covered, utilise Guyana's vast land areas and productive soils, go into partnerships with agricultural/commercial investors to produce more finished/processed/packaged foods of good quality within the region, invest in a ferry service to ship produce and products cheaply and quickly between the islands. We cannot afford to continue our monocrop existence, especially with preferential trade agreements being removed for sugar and bananas. Its amazi ng that countries like St. Vincent, St Lucia and Dominica have fruit rotting on the ground as there are so much of it.
KC Cave
London, UK

Parents tend to eat what they grow but children eat what they see on tv and don't want to grow anything these days. We are going to have to discipline ourselves first.
Raymond Henderson, Dominica

For years Caribbean countries have been duped into buying foreign goods and pursuing methods of farming based on outside agents who supposed these techniques would benefit the region. Fortunately for the Caribbean, the region has been unable to implement the full extent of these projects for lack of funds and (in some cases) local resistance. If regional leaders are savvy, they will bolster the "backyard" farming culture, which is enabling some countries to offset the rising cost of food and at the same time harness the power of government to protect and develop these organic crops.
Jomo Dixon, Brooklyn

I am 24, I work a regular nine to five job, my basic salary is five thousand dollars per month. To some, this may seem reasonable and to others very good. But the truth is due to the recent rise inflation in my country. I get migraines trying to live from month to month. In my opinion, we lack good governance, this sudden rise in inflation could've been cushioned if the leaders of this country were not corrupt and greedy of their own gain with no regards for the less fortunate of this society. Agricultural lands are converted into housing settlements and farmers are neglected adding to the already increasing prices of food. we are an oil rich country and we can surely manage the global rise in food prices if there was a proper agricultural infrastucture in place.
Keron Alexander, Chaguanas, Trinidad

Back in the 70s and 80s Black Bush Polder and Courantyne in Guyana were producing a lot of rice, coconut, fruits, vegetables and fresh fish. Parents and children were working the land together. There are plenty of open lands but more lazy people who don't want to dirty their hands. The young people want to go to the rum shop and dance to the music. Guyana is a rich and fertile land, it can produce a lot if citizens and the government can come together and do what was done in the 70s and 80s.
Annie-Guyana

The best way to solve this food crisis is for all Caribbean, South American and African nations to stop being dependent on Americans and Europeans for help. We need to start caring for our own well being. Throughout all the developing countries being a farmer is a bad stigma so to solve this backward thinking is to make agriculture a very lucrative and profitable labour… Until my country and other Caricom and Africom nations start caring about their own self-being this problem is going to get worse. Does any body know this? This is a fact. Africa can feed the entire world if their agriculture system was modernized. A small section in Haiti used to provide rice for the entire country but now it’s on very small scale. This free trade set by Europe and USA is also killing small farmers around the world because they can’t compete. Free trade is not in any favour for my country or any Caribbean, South American or African countries.
C.Richard
Cap-haitien, Haiti

For sure we have plenty of food in the Caribbean but the problem is that the people in charge of managing the food are not doing it properly. Therefore we have people dying from starvation in an island with plenty of food for every one. I think that every government in the Caribbean should get together and find a good solution to the main problems that are affecting our islands and our people.
Julio
Dominican Republic

There is little coordination in most countries around agriculture. If each island does not have a comprehensive strategy, a regional one is even more unlikely. I am not totally pessimistic; however this could be the impetus we need to get the CSME and other regional initiatives moving. It amazes me that we, in the region, still cannot see the benefits of 'ONE CARIBBEAN'. If all of Europe can come together, in spite of their differences, I just can't understand why the Caribbean is still dragging its feet after more than 50 years.
Orita Bailey
Basseterre, St.Kitts

Without a doubt, Guyana, Dominica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have the capacity to feed the rest of Caricom. Therefore the question posed is rhetorical. It is critical for us to put action to all the talk taking place in the region. There is no room for negativity; instead we need to put our creative energies into finding the best approach as a region. This is evident through the proposed OECS Economic Union or even the sleeping CSME.
Nerissa Gittens
Kingstown, St.Vincent & the Grenadines

I think the only real way we can stomach these soaring food prices is to adjust our diets to eat mainly what is native to our homelands. This would mean, for example, eating fritters instead of waffles for a snack. The region is vulnerable to floods and hurricanes, and many pests and these are some of the major disincentives for pursuing agriculture among many West Indians.
Danielle
Commonwealth of Dominica

The food crisis has clearly demonstrated that food security is a most important aspect of any modern society. Caribbean countries must respond to this reality as the developed world does, that is, agricultural subsidies for basic products essential to the Caribbean diet must be put in place and staunchly defended.
Mark A Usher
Belize City, Belize

Politicians have been encouraging citizens to go into tourism sector. The young don't want dirty hands. In my country agriculture science is almost non-existent in schools.
Dwight Charles
Kingstown, Saint Vincent

Come on Joanna wake up… planting your own kitchen garden, eating Dasheen and Eddoes? Be real. Even if it were possible check the cost of 250 grams of ground provision compare that to 250 grams of rice. Plus the rice goes a much longer way than the provision. The imported cornflakes would still cost cheaper than Cassava farine.
R.Kalip
Trinidad & Tobago

This is in the making by big agriculture companies from Europe & USA to destroy the food market in developing countries. Haiti have plenty of food don't be fooled by the media but food is very very expensive cause most product are exported and in USD value, anyway all Caricom leaders are bunch of puppets for Europe and USA government; serve no interest for their own country security. Hopefully when every country start rioting like us maybe the government would listen. Every Caribbean country can feed itself but lack of technology and interest is destroying that market.
C.Richard
Cap-Haitien,Haiti

I believe that the countries of Caricom should take what George Lamming said recently in Antigua and Barbuda very seriously and start looking at how they can help themselves with their own resources spread across the territories. Guyana’s land mass with Trinidad and Tobago's oil wealth and the manpower resources of Jamaica will go a long way towards eventual unity in currency and the economy.
Caudley George
St Johns, Antigua and Barbuda

The Caribbean region has not been serious about commercial agriculture. Imagine that in the 21st century most of the agriculture is still rain-fed. We have divided up the viable large estates into uneconomical parcels of land and given the land to mostly uneducated farmers. Is there any surprise that today we are unable to attract large capital intensive agricultural ventures? Also we seem to want to grow all crops in all islands instead of coming up with a comprehensive plan to do agriculture in a way that takes into account the comparative advantages each island has going for it. The land tenure situation and the lack of scientific approach to modern agriculture has put the Caribbean in the situation it is in despite the more developed countries giving a lot of financial and other help to modernize agriculture in the region. There is a need for a drastic turn-a-round in the agriculture sector if the Caribbean is to overcome the challenges we now face.
Jonathan
USA

Agriculture is the way to go. But the Caribbean is in denial. They think importing food is ok while our young men are playing dominos all day. Young men in our region seem to just want to get a mic to dj the problems in the region but they are not attached to the action plans that will bring real economic change. If the Caribbean were really united they could surprise the world with the level of productivity they could generate in the agricultural sector. But agriculture does not have a good reputation in the mind of our youth. They see agriculture as a backward practice. In fact if any one is engaged in agriculture, he is seen as "country man". As long as this problem remains we will carry the weight of food crisis around the world. Government must add some value to the practice of agriculture by modernising the sector and engaging in big scale and targeted farming according to geographical zones.
Jean Louinel
Mandeville, HAITI/JAMAICA

At the individual level families can begin planting their own gardens. Seasonings that we buy on a weekly basis: thyme, chive parsley. Other food stuff: lettuce, tomatoes, different types of peppers, cauliflower. Fruit trees that grow year-round: orange, grapefruit. The average person may not be able to grow staples in their yard, but by planting the little we are able to, we actually subsidize our own groceries. We need to make use of our local produce also. For example, cassava to make farine which can be used as breakfast cereal instead of the ready-made cereals we get in the groceries. We can limit our weekly rice intake by using provisions as the staple dish.
The demands we make on our governments such as subsidizing and using land for agriculture are things we can definitely do on an individual/family/community level.
Joanna
Trinidad & Tobago

Countries like St Vincent & The Grenadines will have to buck up on their agriculture sector to help out the rise in food costs. They also need to find a solution to drop back the cost of flour...Private businesses can help out by sourcing cheaper products to put on the shelves.
Tequila Ross
Barrouallie, St Vincent & the Grenadines

In my country many years ago a leader said "let's grow more food." We have since been playing politics, we have lost the plot, and instead of growing more we continue to fight each other. It is sad to see the quantity of land we have and still have to pay so much for food. It is not too late to make a turn-around, grow more was viable then, and can be viable now.
Abiose Thomas
Georgetown, Guyana

I don’t think that one should be a rocket scientist to realise that going back to the land is important for the growth of our country. In my opinion the government should provide possible means to enable the farmers to establish themselves in an effort to make food cheaper to the people. We have a college on the island where students study agriculture. However there is no gain in that whatsoever!!! If the government provide incentives for students and interested persons to focus on agriculture we can develop as a country. It is important that we can feed our people first. We must consider the increase in food prices and the number of poor people in St Lucia who cannot afford to even by a loaf of bread. I believe that St Lucia can develop if only we start focusing on effective!
We have gathered all our eggs in one basket by focusing only on tourism. We need to diversify. We need to change our mentality, be more concerned about what we can do for our country and think less of what our country can do for us.
P. Johnson
Castries, St Lucia

There is a lot of talk about agriculture and imports-export. Well we need a certain amount of imports to sustain our tourism plant. For those of you who have taken a cruise, the variety and amount of food made available to tourists is amazing, so to compete for the tourism dollar we need imports. On the local level islanders need to buy local and eat local, keep our money circulating at home. Dehydrate your fruits and veggies and export them, don't let food rot on the ground.
V.Vitalis
St. Lucia

One wonders why the advocates of farming that all seem to know that the Caribbean is abundant in unused land don't just head on down and get rich farming. Very few of the Caribbean islands have a ghost of a chance of succeeding at farming; Guyana maybe? Furthermore islands have upwards of 30% of the labour in agriculture relative to 2% in the agricultural super-powers of Holland and the USA.
Millicent Wilson
Kingston, Jamaica

I am fed up hearing this phrase 'back to the land'. Where is the agricultural land to farm? There is no zoning, they are gone! They have been used for residential purposes. Most countries in Caricom share a common history and language and we still can't have a common currency, travel using an ID and more so work without a permit in another country. Do you really believe that Caribbean leaders can come up with concrete policies in tackling high food prices? They may, but it will take a long time to be implemented or never will.
Nilio Gumbs
Kingstown, St.Vincent

Back to the land for starters, because increases in the world population will bring increases in world prices which thus have an long term upward trend
Arne Barendregt
Willemstad, Curacao N.A.