ANALYSIS OF GOVERNANCE FOR FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY IN THREE CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES
From left to right: Dr. Tigergeet Ballayram – former lecturer, Professor Fitzroy J Henry – Professor of Public Health Nutrition
“Analysis of Governance for Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) in Three Caribbean Countries”
Citation: Tigerjeet Ballayram, and Fitzroy J. Henry, “Analysis of Governance for Food and Nutrition Security in Three Caribbean Countries.” Journal of Food Security, vol. 11, no. 1 (2023): 1-7. doi: 10.12691/jfs-11-1-1
ISSUE: Despite much policy conceptualization and formulation on FNS in the Caribbean, the countries have not produced the expected outcomes. The relevant question is less about what are the right policies, but instead, what makes policies produce the desired life-improving outcomes? The World Bank’s answer to this question is “better governance—that is, the ways in which governments, citizens, and communities engage to design and apply policies”. Is the World Bank correct?
OBJECTIVE. To assess governance for food and nutrition security (FNS), in the Caribbean and distill the key lessons learned and the critical role of governance for FNS from this three-country experience.
METHODS. The authors developed an analytical framework that contextualizes FNS within an inter-related multi-sectoral setting in which governance, global, hemispheric and regional mandates, and other key variables combine to determine a country’s FNS status. Interviews were conducted with upper-level policy makers in the three countries, to solicit their perspectives on governance for FNS. Finally, various policy documents were reviewed to assess the extent to which they included principles of good governance for FNS.
RESULTS. Macro-level indicators of good governance in the three countries are comparable with other Caribbean peers, but some of the indicators have been declining in recent years. FNS-oriented structures and institutions do exist in the countries, but they focus mainly on their respective core mandates, and rarely appreciate the multisectoral dimensions of FNS. There is a plethora of FNS-oriented policies, strategies, and action plans, but they do not specify activities to address governance of FNS. Moreover, many policies have expired, and the coordinating bodies for supporting their implementation have not been established and/or are not functioning. FNS policies are implemented in an ad hoc manner, and monitoring and evaluation are rarely conducted.
CONCLUSIONS: Good governance enhances the efficient delivery of FNS, an essential public good that a country’s citizenry expects from a democratic state. The political leadership and policy makers in all three countries must work harder to ensure that FNS policies and action plans are current, diligently implemented, monitored, and evaluated. They must also integrate the human rights-based PANTHER and good governance principles into policies and action plans to achieve more robust FNS outcomes.
