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5th September
Can We Build A Sustainable Agricultural System?
Godfrey Eneas



The Bahamas is faced with major problems in developing and sustaining an agricultural system.


Agricultural output has been declining over the years in The Bahamas. This decline stems from a number of reasons ranging from an aging farming community , the drift of young people from the Family Islands to the urban centres of Nassau and Freeport and the unrelenting struggle of our farmers and agribusinesses to compete in a world where agricultural trade is regulated by the rules and regulations of the Geneva based World Trade Organization(WTO).

In conjunction with this, The Bahamas is faced with the added challenges, firstly of its role in the regional integration process with and involvement in CARICOM, and secondly within the hemisphere and the manner in which we will participate in the Free Trade Area of the Americas(FTAA).

These are the factors which are determining whether or not, in this globalize environment, we can develop an agricultural system which can sustain the pressures these challenges have brought.The decimation of the citrus groves in Abaco as a result of the Canker Outbreak has virtually destroyed the export market for fresh citrus fruit . This will directly impact the Sector's contribution to the country's Gross Domestic Product). Last year small farming and agribusiness contributed only 1% to the GNP; Fisheries, on the other hand , made a 2% contribution and is expanding.

Despite the dismal showing by the Sector in recent years, there is hope as their is a potential which remains untapped primarily because the required policy and programme adjustments have not been introduced in order for Bahamian small farmers and agribusinesses to comply with the realities of the global market place.

As a member of African, Caribbean and Pacific group, The Bahamas has not availed itself to benefits which emanate from this arrangement with the European UNION(EU). Under the terms of the EU's Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA), there are substantial benefits which are open to ACP States. These benefits include technical assistance, training for small farmers and their organizations i.e.cooperatives, commodity groups and associations, various types and forms of funding.and market access for specific commodities.

The following is an excerpt from an article on Sustainable Agriculture. from the periodical of the union of concerned scientists.

Sustainable Agriculture -- A New Vision

Changing agriculture in ways that make it more sustainable is a big challenge. Agriculture is an enormous and varied enterprise that is shaped by many forces. But it can be done. Essential to accomplishing change is knowing where we are and where we want to go. But those differences should not obscure the common themes of a sustainable agriculture -- biodiversity, a deep understanding of agricultural ecosystems, and economic reality.

The Future

What might a sustainable agriculture future look like? Farms of all sizes would grow a variety of crops and some would include livestock operations. Some would raise energy crops for use in producing electricity and fueling cars. The soil would regain its richness, since farmers would no longer poison it to control insects. New methods like crop rotation and the use of beneficial insects would control pest populations. Crops and livestock would have been bred (by old or new biotechnologies) to fit into the new operations. And rural streams and rivers would again run clean enough for people to swim and for fish, birds, and other wildlife to flourish.

Why does this differ from the snapshot of the present? Unlike industrial agriculture, which looks at the farm as an outdoor factory, sustainable agriculture views a farm as a system - an "agroecosystem" - made up of elements like soil, plants, insects, and animals. These elements can be enriched and adjusted to solve problems and maximize yields.

This approach is holistic: the emphasis is on the farm as an integrated whole, not as a set of inputs and outputs. It is also scientific: it relies on knowledge about the elements of the system and their interaction to achieve its results. It is a powerful approach that can produce high yields and profits for farmers.

What could bring about such a future? For sustainable agriculture to flourish in this country, it will need to be supported by innovative government policies: subsidy programs to help farmers through the transition to sustainable agriculture and the occasional crop failure, research to understand the interaction of all elements of farming and to produce appropriate new technologies, and extension services to update farmers about new developments in science and technology.