Managing risks in the Caribbean

Steve Maximay, a plant pathologist consultant based in Trinidad

Caribbean agriculture has always been characterised by risk, whether related to yields, markets or other factors. But whilst weather was often the single greatest determinant of risk, climate rarely entered the discussion. Today, every facet of Caribbean agriculture is being impacted by climate change. Fish stocks have been depleted as a result of reduced coral ecosystem-dependent spawning. Farm animals are suffering from suspected heat-related stress. There are reports of changes in the flavour of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee as a result of temperature and humidity variations. Less water is available for agricultural use and higher tidal variations are causing salinisation in aquifers.
Risk management is intrinsically linked to adaptation. Extreme climate events such as hurricanes pose serious risks to Caribbean farmers and though there have been sporadic attempts at commodity-linked insurance, these have been largely uninspiring. One approach that I believe holds promise is helping producers with the timely use of proven mitigation strategies. With this in mind, I have developed a mitigation strategy based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Mitigation Points (HACMP). It uses the critical point principle common to Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), the worldwide food safety protocol. The critical point is a step which, if controlled, will eliminate a hazard or reduce it to an acceptable level.
This system helps farmers assess the level of risk, according to the three sides of the so-called risk triangle: hazard, vulnerability and exposure. In the Caribbean we cannot reduce the hazard, so we must decrease our exposure either by completing the product cycle outside the season when the hazard is most likely to occur or by physically protecting the product (e.g. channelled watercourses to protect crops from floodwaters). The other option is to reduce vulnerability and that requires using tougher plants and animals. Research on hardier plant varieties is going on at the University of the West Indies and the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute, to ensure that they can survive in more saline or dry conditions.
Climate change presents opportunities as well as threats. Consumers are willing to pay more for products that are certified as eco-friendly. In much of the Caribbean, the tourism product is getting greener. Hoteliers and agriculturalists are already coming together to explore some of the opportunities.

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