Organic Dominica Final Consultancy Report
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TRANSFORMING DOMINICA INTO AN ORGANIC ISLAND The Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment CONSULTANCY REPORT and the SIDS Unit, UNEP/ROLAC Prepared by Al-Mario Casimir Derrick Oderson Joan Petersen-Polo McCarthy Marie Olive St. Ville February 2006 Patrick Chesney (Team Leader) About the Consultants Al-Mario Casimir is a native of the Commonwealth of Dominica and holds an M.Sc. degree in Horticulture. Al-Mario is the National Organic Coordinator in the Dominica Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and a member of the Dominica Organic Agriculture Movement. Derrick Oderson is a native of Barbados and holds an M.Sc. degree in Regional and Resource Planning and adds to that undergraduate degrees in Geography and Law. Derrick is a practicing Attorney-at-law specialising in environmental law and policy and is a member of the Barbados Bar Association. Joan Petersen-Polo is a native of Trinidad and Tobago and holds a B.Sc. degree in Agronomy. Joan is the organic agronomist with the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute and a member of the Trinidad and Tobago Organic Agriculture Movement Limited. McCarthy Marie is a native of the Commonwealth of Dominica and holds an M.Sc. degree in Agricultural Economics. His interest is in agricultural diversification and he has published “Agricultural diversification in a small economy: the case of Dominica”. Olive St. Ville is a native of St. Lucia and holds an M.Sc. degree in International Agriculture and Food Marketing. Olive is a member of the American Marketing Association. Patrick Chesney is a native of Guyana and holds a Ph.D. in Tropical Agroforestry and an M.Sc. in Horticulture. Patrick is the current Chairman of the Guyana Organic Agriculture Movement and a member of the International Society for Horticultural Science. ii Acronyms and Abbreviations BPoA Barbados Plan of Action CARDI Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute CARICOM Caribbean Community CBD Convention on Biological Diversity CITES UN Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora DBMC Dominica Banana Marketing Company DBPL Dominica Banana Producers Limited DBSAP Dominica Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan DCP Dominica Coconut Producers DEOSL Dominica Essential Oils and Spices Ltd. DEXIA Dominica Export Import Agency DHTA Dominica Hotel and Tourism Authority DOAM Dominica Organic Agriculture Movement DOEH Department of Environmental Health DOWASCO Dominica Water and Sewerage Company ECU Environmental Coordinating Unit EMA Environmental Management Act EU European Union FAO Food and Agriculture Organisation GAPs Good Agricultural Practices GDP Gross Domestic Product GMO Genetically Modified Organism HACCP Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point HDI Human Development Index ICM Integrated Crop Management IFOAM International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements IMF International Monetary Fund IOIA Independent Organic Inspectors Association ISO International Standards Organisation IUCN World Conservation Union JOAM Jamaica Organic Agriculture Movement LFO Light Fuel Oil MEA Multilateral Environment Agreement NDFD National Development Foundation of Dominica NGO Non-Governmental Organisation OAU Organic Agriculture Unit OECS Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States OMG Organic Marketing Group POPs Persistent Organic Pollutants SIDS Small Island Development States UNCCD United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification UNEP United Nations Environment Programme UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change USDA United States Department of Agriculture iii WHO World Health Organisation WIBDECO Windward Islands Banana Development and Export Company WINCROP Windward Islands Crop Insurance Limited WINFA Windward Islands Farmers Association WTO World Trade Organisation iv Acknowledgements The Consultancy team salutes the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica and the United Nations Environment Programme for the vision and courage to commission this important study and extends heartfelt gratitude for the opportunity to participate in the process. To the many institutions and individuals who contributed of their time and information we thank you most wholeheartedly. Special thanks are extended to Mr. Lloyd Pascal for critiquing the ideas of the team during the data gathering exercise; to Mr. Joey Jno-Lewis for providing valuable reports, and assisting with design of questionnaire, inputting and analysis of data; and to the support staff for field and office support. The UNEP/ROLAC funded this study through the SIDS Unit. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page About the Consultants................................................................................................................. ii Acronyms and Abbreviations .................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements.......................................................................................................................v List of Tables................................................................................................................................ ix List of Figures ................................................................................................................................x Executive Summary.................................................................................................................... xi Introduction ................................................................................................................................ xiii 1. Background............................................................................................................................1 1.1 Natural Resource Base................................................................................................1 1.1.1 Topography and Soils ..........................................................................................1 1.1.2 Vegetation ..............................................................................................................2 1.1.3 Water, climate, hydrology ....................................................................................4 1.1.4 Biodiversity.............................................................................................................6 1.1.5 Mineral deposits and energy ...............................................................................7 1.2 Overview of environmental issues .............................................................................9 1.2.1 Land degradation ..................................................................................................9 1.2.2 Biodiversity loss/ loss of genetic resources ....................................................11 1.2.3 Climate Change...................................................................................................11 1.2.4 Coastal Zone Issues...........................................................................................12 1.2.5 Solid Waste..........................................................................................................12 1.2.6 Biosafety...............................................................................................................12 1.2.7 Regulating Use of private lands bordering protected areas.........................13 1.2.8 Water Resource Management..........................................................................14 1.2.9 Multilateral Environment Agreements..............................................................14 1.3 Socio-economic issues ..............................................................................................14 1.3.1 Population and Demographics..........................................................................14 1.3.2 The Incidence of Poverty in Dominica .............................................................16 1.3.3 Labour and Employment....................................................................................18 1.3.4 Health....................................................................................................................18 1.3.5 The Structure of the Economy ..........................................................................19 1.3.6 The State of the Economy .................................................................................20 1.3.7 Cultural aspects...................................................................................................23 1.3.8 Land Tenure.........................................................................................................24 1.4 Emerging Issues..........................................................................................................24 1.4.1 Food Safety..........................................................................................................24 1.4.2 Food Security.......................................................................................................25 1.4.3 Decline in Domestic Food Production .............................................................25 1.4.4 Lifestyle & Food Consumption Patterns..........................................................25 1.4.5 Repositioning / recreating Dominica’s image .................................................26 1.4.6 Market Access .....................................................................................................27 2. Importance of natural resource base ...............................................................................28