Farming Change Growing More Food with a Changing Resource Base
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Farming Change growing more food with a changing resource base Farming Change growing more food with a changing resource base Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). 2012 Farming Change: growing more food with a changing resource base is published under license from Creative Commons Attibution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 3.0 unported. Available in PDF format at www.iica.int, www.cta.int and www.pn4ad.org IICA, CTA and CaRAPN encourage the fair use of this document. Proper citation is requested. Editorial Coordination: Diana Francis Publication Concept: Diana Francis Mechanical Editing: Jessica Oura Cover Design: Kathryn Duncan Layout: Kathryn Duncan Cover Photo: Dr. Jenny Daltry of Flora and Fauna International (FFI) Printed: Caribbean Print Technologies Farming Change, growing more food with a changing resource base: critical issues, perspectives and options / IICA, CARDI, CTA – Port of Spain: CaRAPN, 2012. 150 p; 21.6 x 22.9 cm ISBN13: 978-92-9248-396-8 1. Farming systems 2. Food production 3. Crops 4. Soil 5. Climatic change 6. Forests 7. Food Security 8. Land degradation I. IICA II. CARDI III. CTA IV. Title AGRIS DEWEY E10 338.19 Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago 2012 All errors and omissions are the responsibility of the authors and editors. Cover Photo: Dr. Jenny Daltry of Flora and Fauna International (FFI) taken in the rainforest at Mount Troumassee, Saint Lucia during the forest inventory. CRITICAL ISSUES PERSPECTIVES AND OPTIONS (CIPO) The CIPO series responds to the need for more regional-oriented thinking, perspectives and opinions on global issues that impact and influence agriculture and by extension, human development in the Caribbean. It synthesises the extensive literature on key topics and relates them to a Caribbean perspective. It also provides an additional and alternative platform for Caribbean professionals to publish on a wider range of topics for a wider audience. This third issue on ‘Farming Change, growing more food with a changing resource base’ comprises three inter-related papers, which explore the topics from a Caribbean situation and perspective. i. Soil Loss: growing food crops without soil; ii. Forest Cover: securing ecosystem services for sustainable farming; iii. Species under Siege: combating the IAS threat These topics should be of strategic interest to Caribbean countries, individually and as a region, as they seek to address the myriad and inter-connected challenges of sustainable agricultural development and food and nutrition security. The previous issue ‘The Agriculture, Food and Health Challenge’ 2009, discussed topics of ‘Agriculture – linking Food and Health’, ‘Agriculture for Food or Fuel or Both’ and ‘Food from the Sea’. A conclusion common in all papers is that countries cannot act alone in addressing existing and emerging challenges. All three authors called for greater regional collaboration (beyond just the usual public-private sector partnership) to include consumers and civil society. Farming Change, growing more food with a changing resource base iii Acronyms and Abbreviations ACLP Alternative Community Livelihoods Programme AOSIS Alliance of Small Island States APHIS Agricultural Plant Health Inspection Service BLI Bird Life International CABI CAB INternational CANARI Caribbean Natural Resources Institute CARICAD Caribbean Centre for Development Administration CARICOM Caribbean Community COTED Caribbean Community Council for Trade and Economic Development CBD Convention on Biodiversity CBO Community Based Organisation CCCC Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre CEHI Caribbean Environmental Health Institute CEP Caribbean Environmental Programme CFF Carambola Fruit Fly CGD Citrus Greening Disease CIDA Canadian International Development Agency CIMH Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology CIPO Critical Issues Perspectives and Options C&I Criteria and Indicators CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species CO2 Carbon dioxide COP Conference of the Parties CWSA Central Water and Sewerage Authority DFID United Kingdom department for International Development ECIAF Eastern Caribbean Institute of Agriculture and Forestry EEZ Exclusive Economic Zones ENSO El Niño Southern Oscillation FACRP Fondes Amandes Community Reforestation Project FAO Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations FCPF Forest Carbon Partnership Facility FEE Foundation for Environmental Education FNS Food and Nutrition Security FUG Forest Users Group GAP Good Agricultural Practices GCMs Global Climate Models GCR Greater Caribbean Region GDP Gross Domestic Product iv Critical Issues, Options and Perspectives (CIPO) GEF Global Environment Facility GOSL Government of Saint Lucia GoSVG Government of Saint Vincent & the Grenadines IAS Invasive Alien Species IFAS Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences IFMDP Integrated Forest Management and Development Programme IICA Inter American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPPC International Plant Protection Convention ISPM15 International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures No.15 ITTO International Tropical Timber Organization IUCN World Conservation Union IWCAM Integrating Watershed and Coastal Area Management LFMC Local Forest Management Committees LPG Liquid petroleum gas LWM Land and Water Management LWR Land and Water Resources MALFF Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Forestry & Fisheries MAFF Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Japan) MCM Million Cubic Metres MDGs Millennium Development Goals MEA Millennium Ecosystem Assessment METI Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Japan) MRV measuring, reporting and verification NASA North American Space Agency NGO Non Government Organisation NTFPs Non Timber Forest Products NRMU Natural Resource Management Unit NWC National Water Commission NWFP Non-Wood Forest Products O2 Oxygen OECS Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States PES Payment for Environmental Services PFE Permanent Forest Estate PHMB Pink Hibiscus Mealy Bug PM Propagative Material PMU Programme Management Unit QM Quarantine Material REDD Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation SBSTA Subsidiary Body Scientific and Technological Advice Farming Change, growing more food with a changing resource base v SFM Sustainable Forest Management SIDS Small Island Developing States SPH Stems per Hectare TBT Tropical Bont Tick TTABA Trinidad and Tobago Agribusiness Association TWCG Talvern Water Catchment Group UK United Kingdom UN United Nations UNCCD United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification UNEP United Nations Environment Programme UNFCCC United Nations framework Convention on Climate Change UNWTO United Nations World Tourism Organization USA United States of America USDA United Stated Department of Agriculture USGS United States Geological Survey UTT University of Trinidad and Tobago UWI University of the West Indies VINLEC St. Vincent Electricity Services Ltd. WCR Wider Caribbean Region WPM Wood Packaging Material WSSD World Summit on Sustainable Development WTTC World Travel and Tourism Council vi Critical Issues, Options and Perspectives (CIPO) GLOSSARY Word/Term Meaning, explanation To build up a land surface or streambed through the natural deposition Aggrade of material The diversity of crops and their wild relatives, trees, animals, microbes Agricultural and other species contributing to food production (Emile Frison, Director biodiversity General of Biodiversity International) A soil amendment is any material added to a soil to improve its physical properties, such as water retention, permeability, water infiltration, drainage, aeration and structure. The goal is to provide a better Amendments environment for roots. To do its work, an amendment must be thoroughly mixed into the soil. Amending a soil is not the same thing as mulching, although many mulches also are used as amendments. (www.ext. colostate.edu/pubs/garden/07235.html) A technique to improve the degradative capacity of contaminated areas Bio-augmentation by introducing specific competent strains or consortia of microorganisms to increasing the activity of bacteria that decompose pollutants The types of plant and animal life found in specific regions at specific times. All the plant and animal life of a particular region. The organisms Biota that occupy an ecological niche or ecosystem. (http://www.biology- online.org) The degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiverse / Greater biodiversity implies greater health. Biodiversity is in part a biodiversity function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich, whereas polar regions support fewer species. (http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Biodiversity) The study of the distribution of species (biology) spatially (geography) and temporally (history). Biogeography aims to reveal where organisms Bio-geographical live, at what abundance, and why they are (or are not) found in a certain geographical area is a natural biological process which relies on bacteria, fungi, and plants to degrade, break down, transform, and/or essentially remove Bio-remediation contaminants or impairments of quality from soil and water. (http:// waterquality.montana.edu/docs/methane/Donlan.shtml). The part of the earth and its atmosphere in which living organisms exist or Biosphere that is capable of supporting life. It is the planet’s life support system Farming Change, growing more food with