Vulnerability to food and nutrition insecurity in the Caribbean

Objective: To assess the livelihoods that are most vulnerable to food and nutrition insecurity in three Caribbean countries: Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St. Kitts and Nevis.

Methods: The Sustainable Livelihood Approach (SLA), and the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO’s), Food Insecurity Vulnerability Mapping Systems (FIVIMS), framework were used as the lens for conducting the assessment. Primary data from household interviews, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews, as well as secondary data, provided answers to five empirically based questions posed in the study, viz., who are vulnerable to food and nutrition insecurity; how many they are; where they are located; why they are vulnerable; and what can be done to address the vulnerability situation.

Results: Poverty is a key driver of food insecurity, and is reinforced in livelihoods that, typically:

·         Have limited asset portfolios.

·         Do not benefit significantly from external risk management instruments such as policies, laws, and regulations

·         Are frequently impacted negatively by shocks (e.g., natural disasters), trends (e.g., loss of markets), and seasonality.

These factors, singly or combined, restrict choices, and constrain the ability of households to maintain food security and build resilience against food insecurity. The paper drew attention to the importance of, and briefly covered key gender issues.

Conclusions: The three-country case study highlights the full range of factors that place people at risk of becoming food-insecure. The paper recommends policy actions to address the risk factors to food and nutrition insecurity, and to increase the resilience of livelihoods to cope with or respond effectively to stressful situations.