Donovan Campbell

donovan.campbell@uwimona.edu.jm

• Domestic Food Production and Hazard Vulnerability in Jamaica: Adaptation and Change in Southern St. Elizabeth

Thesis Abstract

Domestic food production and imports are the principal components of food availability in a country. In Jamaica, the availability of food has become more and more insecure as a result of a decline in domestic production and an increased dependence on imported food. In addition, academic/scientific opinion suggests that climate change has resulted in the magnification of extreme events such as droughts and hurricanes. This means that farmers in the country are doubly exposed to the negative effects globalization and climate change.

Locally, in the past three years alone the agricultural sector has been affected by at least four hurricanes, several floods, droughts and bush fires, resulting in more than 6 billion in damage, loss of income for thousands of farmers and disruption in the countries food supply. Some farmers have rebounded and have restarted production, however many are yet to recover from the destruction. The relaxation of import duties subsequent to these disasters did not make it any easier for farmers to get back on their feet.

Furthermore, in the last ten years, food production per head has dropped over 10%, yet Jamaica is one of the largest exporters of processed food in the Caribbean. Less and less land is under agriculture and more food imports are need for local consumption. Most of the agricultural production is oriented to exports rather than providing food for the local market. Against the background of structural weakness in the agricultural sector (and marginalization of the same), coupled with changes in environmental parameters such as temperature and rainfall on the one hand, and globalization on the other, how vulnerable are small farmers to these changes? And what strategies are they employing to negotiate these stressors? Looking at a case study in Southern St. Elizabeth, the research seeks to provide an understanding of how farmers in the area are adapting to these changes in their environment.

Selected Publications

• McGregor, D.F.M., Barker, D. & D. Campbell (2009) ‘Environmental Change and Caribbean Food Security: recent hazard impacts and domestic food production in Jamaica’, in McGregor, D.F.M., Dodman, D. & D. Barker(eds) /Global Change and Caribbean Vulnerability: Environment, Economy and Society at Risk, /UWI Press, Kingston, Jamaica

  Gamble, D., Campbell, D., Allen, T., Barker, D., Curtis, S. & McGregor, D (accepted) Climate change, drought, and Jamaican agriculture: the climate record and local perception, Annals of the Association of American Geographers

  Campbell, D. & Beckford, C. (submitted) 'Negotiating uncertainty: Small farmers' coping strategies before and after an encounter with Hurricane Dean

  Campbell, D., Barker, D. & D.F.M. McGregor (in preparation) ‘Dealing with drought: small farmers and environmental hazards in southern St Elizabeth. To be submitted October 2009

  Campbell D. (2008) "Small farming in an era of global change and uncertainty" Jamaican Geographer, No. 18, pp.4
  

Conference Participation

Campbell, D., Barker, D. & D.F.M. McGregor (2008) ‘Dealing with drought: small farmers and environmental hazards in southern St Elizabeth’, paper presented at Geography Geology Conference, UWI’s 60^th anniversary, Mona campus, Jamaica, July 2008.

Campbell, D. & Barker, D (2009) 'Global Change and domestic food production in Jamaica: small farmers’ vulnerability and adaptation to drought and water deficit in southern St Elizabeth', presented at conference on 'Food Security & Agricultural Development in the Americas', July 28-30th, University of the West Indies, Mona campus

Campbell, D. & Barker, D (2009) 'Hazards and agriculture: a comparison of Jamaican farmers’ vulnerability and adaptation to hurricanes and drought', presented at the annual meeting of the Association of American Geographers (AAG), Las Vegas, NV – March 22–27

Campbell, D. (2007) 'Negotiating uncertainty: Small farmers' coping strategies before and after an encounter with Hurricane Dean', presented at the annual meeting of the Southeastern Division of the Association of American Geographers (SEDAAG), Charleston, South Carolina, November 18 - 20th

McGregor, D.F.M., Campbell, D. & D. Barker (2009) ‘Environmental Change and Caribbean Food Security: recent hazard impacts and domestic food production in Jamaica’, presented at conference on ‘The World Food Crisis and the Global South’, January27-28^th , Institute for the Study of the Americas/School of Oriental & African Studies, University of London.

McGregor, D.F.M., Campbell, D. & D. Barker (2008) ‘Environmental Change and Caribbean Food Security: recent hazard impacts and domestic food production in Jamaica’, Annual Conference of Royal Geographical Society/Institute of British Geographers, 27-29^th August, Kings College, University of London

Rhiney, K. & D. Campbell (2009) ‘Boosting local capacity and strengthening linkages: farmers’ groups and their supply links with the Jamaican tourism industry’, paper presented at the Meeting on Food Security and Agricultural Development in the Americas, Kingston, University of the West Indies, Mona, July 27-29.