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Identification of barriers of Bahamian agriculture production: an assessment of stakeholder needs
Land available for agriculture production in the Bahamas is roughly 191,000 acres; however, approximately 10% of production capacity is realized. To assist with augmenting Bahamian agriculture production, a team of Texas Tech University researchers worked with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) to evaluate the Bahamian food system from farm to fork to determine stakeholder needs. The team traveled to several islands; visited multiple farms, governmental agencies, a feed mill, an abattoir, a resort butcher department and met with the Minister of Agriculture. At each stakeholder meeting, barriers to the food production/consumption system were identified. The following themes emerged within respective segments. Issues producers faced included: 1) lack of product standards and certification; 2) theft and feral dogs; 3) inconsistent availability and price of inputs; 4) land availability; and 5) unfair trade regulations. Processors indicated the following barriers: 1) lack of access to employee training; 2) equipment availability/cost; 3) consistency of governmental support; and 4) facility security. The team also conducted a workshop for livestock producers and administered an instrument to help identify audience demographics and major concerns with Bahamian agriculture production. Of the 25 individuals that responded, 50% indicated that agriculture represented 50% of household income, whereas 10 individuals indicated agriculture was the sole income source. For such households, challenges within the agriculture system can lead to significant levels of food insecurity. The instrument also identified the following challenges within the agriculture industry: lack of education in food safety, governmental challenges, lack of marketing infrastructure, and a need for new technologies and methodologies for improving agriculture productivity, transportation and handling and animal welfare. The needs assessment conducted by the research team was the initial step in communicating barriers the country faces in becoming more food secure to IICA. Researchers made several recommendations to IICA to focus stakeholder resources. Educational efforts must be coordinated through IICA and governmental agencies to provide effective training programs and eliminate redundancy. Communication at all levels of government related to food production/consumption should be improved. The single abattoir on the island of New Providence should be evaluated for feasibility of continued operations or elimination. Alternatives for providing humane animal slaughter in multiple locations were proposed with the goal of improving processing quality to WTO food safety guidelines. Efforts to open an agricultural branch of the College of the Bahamas on Andros Island should be strongly supported.
Keywords: Bahamas, Food Security, Needs Assessment