Shine your light on TT

THE EDITOR: As we celebrate Divali, a religious festival, food and family is at its centre. The impact of natural hazards and disasters on agriculture, food and nutrition security, and family life remains in the hearts and minds of many citizens across the country, especially farmers, whose fortunes and livelihood are doubly impacted.

Let this auspicious time serve the purpose of intensifying your love for God, your fellow men, and our great country.

While many farmers in developing nations are vulnerable to natural disasters and risk losing their livelihoods, reports from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization indicate they receive the least post-disaster aid, generally.

A few years ago, with flooding disasters in agricultural areas of the UK, many farmers were reportedly quitting the industry hit by rain, disease and cheap imports – just as food security became a global issue and the same scenarios which confront us today.

What are our post-disaster needs assessments? In 2017 into 2018 I urged for national conversations on the lessons learnt post-Tropical Storm Bret and flooding disasters towards mitigating the unsustainability and vulnerability of the local food system as it relates to preserving national food and nutrition security.

People are demanding more local food but can we feed them? Amidst all of our efforts to sustainably and consistently educate the national taste bud to desire knowing where our food comes from, how it is produced, and to respect the circumstances of the men and women who work to feed us, the scenario changes from demand for local food to requiring urgent investigations of national importance – the supply capacity of our local food systems to sustain 1.3 million people. Import cover should not immediately form part of our dialogue.

Farmers are resilient people. They should be encouraged but the national conversation is mute on the issue of farmer motivation in this country. As commendable as the Government’s initiative to deliver state land leases to thousands of farmers, and knowing that it absorbs significant work effort and money on their part, our food security is our farmers. They convert land to food, a feat no bureaucrat can deliver.

I invite all of TT to focus and honour that spark of divinity in each of us. For those of us without much to give physically as well as those that came by the thousands to provide relief recently, it is invaluable to remember our country and people in your prayers. For those among us with the opportunity, I urge you to dig deeper to define a clear path ahead.

On many fronts we need to breathe peace and positivity into our psyche and communities. The same God that created the storm created the boat. It must be the personal desire and heart of mankind to use what is available to us to our advantage in the circumstances. Let us be our brother’s keeper.

As we illuminate the darkest night of the year know that only together will joy come in the morning.

Shubh Divali.

OMARDATH MAHARAJ

agricultural economist