Food trade, food security and health in the Caribbean

ABSTRACT

Trade and food security are tied together in the Caribbean through a variety of linkages rooted in the importance of exports and imports to their economies. On the one hand, export-oriented economic activity is a major source of foreign exchange and employment-based income-earning opportunities (linked to both the supply and accessibility dimensions of food security). On the other hand imports are equally critical to nutritional and stability dimension of food security, as most of these countries are net food importers. Further , much of the production for national, regional and international trade is dependent on imported inputs, thereby underlining the dynamic synergies between imports, exports and food security. The first section of this paper highlights trade and food security linkages in the Caribbean.