Dear Editor,

I am encouraged by the article of guest columnist Fabian Rhule that our young people have become engaged and indeed outraged by the perfunctory treatment of this critical issue of food security by our political elite.

Since 1992, we have, for all intents and purposes, adopted as national policy the fallacy that our food and nutrition security lies in a strategy of dependence on cheap food imports. Ignoring all the obvious signals and warnings that cheap food is, in fact, a mirage, we have continued undeterred to the point where our population is now at its most nutritionally vulnerable as the price of the imported food effectively bars access, notwithstanding its availability — the two basic elements of food security. In addition, rural and youth unemployment have proved intractable and food imports, at 16 per cent of our import bill, significantly add to our chronic indebtedness.

What is needed is a strategy for sustainably attaining national food and nutrition security. I suggest we need to adopt food sovereignty as the first step toward feeding ourselves while creating wealth and providing a livelihood for our youth who, even in the rural areas, are kneading dough in the palms of their hands, while waiting on the ‘linkie from foreign’ to ‘sen a food’ via Western Union.

A look at the contrasting macroeconomic performances of Jamaica and the Dominican Republic over the past decade might prove instructive for our planners.

Saludes, Fabian Rhule.

Paul Jennings

Spanish Town, St Catherine

paul.jennings1950@gmail.com