ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC—Grenada says it has started developing a food security crisis preparedness plan (FSCPP) aimed at defining what constitutes a major food and nutrition security crisis for the country in the event of a national hazard or external shocks such as a global health pandemic.
The Ministry of Agriculture opened a two-day workshop on Wednesday for several stakeholders. They were urged to regard the plan as an initiative that would work in the island’s best interest.
“It will help define the role of various organizations and agencies; it will also examine the timeline for implementing early warning and the institutional framework. In other words, this food security crisis preparedness plan needs to be driven by data,” said Isaac Bhagwan, Permanent Secretary of Agriculture.
Bhagwan told the opening ceremony that the data must be collected and analysed and “must be able to speak to the issue that is affecting us. These are the information that will be given to our policymakers, such as the cabinet and other senior government officials who need to make decisions.”
He said that the government requested a loan of US$10 million from the World Bank under the Crisis Response Window Early Response Financing Facility (ERF) in September last year as part of its strategic plan to respond to the worsening acute food security situation.
He said that as part of the condition of the loan, Grenada is expected to develop an operational food security crisis preparedness plan that will allow stakeholders, on a timely basis, to determine what is happening and be able to identify the necessary triggers and the action that has to be taken.
Bhagwan said there is a tendency to think about food crises around hurricane time but there are other factors such as the outbreak of pest and disease, the issue of climate change, civil and political unrest and the list can go on.
“All these can influence food availability and the quality of food. We need to define these triggers and what constitutes a crisis,” he added.
According to the World Bank, the plan should also explain how crisis risks are actively monitored and identified, and details step-by-step protocols, roles, and timelines for mobilizing additional funding and early action.
“The FSCPP brings together these preparedness elements into a cohesive operational framework to support the systematic recognition of an emerging crisis and prompt timely joined-up action across government, humanitarian, and development partners to prevent and mitigate the impacts of future food and nutrition security crises,” the Washington-based financial institution said.
While the FSCPP is a World Bank requirement associated with receiving support from the ERF, it extends beyond the World Bank’s engagement and represents the country’s national plan.
Other countries in the Latin America and Caribbean region developing similar plans are St Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica, Haiti, St Lucia, and Honduras.
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