Personally Taking on Sustainable Agriculture in the Turks and Caicos Islands

Introduction

The term "sustainable agriculture" has been used since the mid-1980s, and, while people interpret it differently, it is generally used to mean the adoption of technologies and practices that enhance productivity with minimal harm to the environment (Robinson, 2018, p. 13). Nevertheless, social and ethical issues have been neglected in the way at which nations prioritize the utilization and protection of natural resources for the production of food in their development programs. Now Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands are at a significant crossroad, and a multi-sectoral and holistic approach must be prioritized for agricultural development. This agenda must not be driven only by the governments, but also by various important stakeholders in these islands. Only then can these islands move towards more sustainable agriculture. While Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands produce just enough food, they still import most of their foods. It cannot be said that they have achieved sustainable agriculture, and this is due to challenges in ethics, responsibility, and sustainability that need to be addressed (Paddock, 2017, p. 104). Personally, I have the same challenges. Therefore, I would like to tackle the challenges through partnership and leadership of place approaches so as to attain sustainable agriculture. In the second part of this paper, I will provide a definition and description of key terms. The subsequent part will provide the main challenges of sustainable agriculture in these Islands, followed by how the leadership of place and partnerships models can enable me to address these issues in theory and practice.

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Definitions of Key Terms

The key terms used are 'ethics,' 'responsibility,' and 'sustainability.' In this context, 'ethics' refers to the behaviour of the government and other key stakeholders that should be based on the values of integrity, equity, and honesty; which entail a concern for the environment, society, and people. These governments and stakeholders should be committed to promoting and upholding ethical behaviour by identifying, underlining, and applying ethical behaviour standards in their decisions as well as activities (Duska, 2000, p 128). On the other hand, 'responsibility' will be characterized by their willingness to integrate broader environmental and social considerations in their decision-making and to be accountable for the effects of their decisions and activities on the environment and the society. Responsibility is very much related to sustainability, which is about economic, environmental, and social goals and challenges of our societies. In this context, it refers to sustainable agriculture, which encompasses sustainable use and preservation of natural resources (Carroll, 2016, p. 3). The ethical, social responsibility of the government entities and other key stakeholders would result in the attaining of sustainable agriculture in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands.

Personal Challenges of Sustainable Agriculture in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands has a great potential for agricultural development. For instance, the climate and soil type are conducive for the cultivation of cash and perennial crops as well as for animal production. Middle and North Caicos particularly can support both crop and livestock production. The other islands are also more appropriate for agriculture. However, this potential has not been fully utilized due to some challenges in ethics, responsibility, and sustainability that would need to be addressed first for sustainable agriculture to be achieved (Baker et al., 2015, p. 18).

The main challenge identified is the overdependence on imported foodstuffs. These Islands depends almost entirely on imported food from the United States, which exposes them to a food security risk. The risk is higher especially considering the stormy weather that besets them every year that may cripple sea transportation, causing serious shortages of food on the islands. This overdependence on imported food has made the people and the governments not to focus more on and invest much in their agriculture sector. The government leaders are not responsible for their people. They should encourage and empower citizens to produce more food locally than to depend on imported food. Apart from increasing the risk of food insecurity on the islands, there is also another danger associated with the overdependence on imported food; which is the consumption of inorganically produced food. Most of the imported foodstuffs originate from huge commercial farms that use antibiotics and growth hormones for animals, as well as chemicals such as insecticides and fertilizers for crops (Baker et al., 2015, P. 20). The serious health implications of over-consumption of such foods are widely understood. Therefore, there is a need to exploit the great potential of production of organic crops in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands. As a pilot program, the Ministry of Agriculture conducted a free organic pesticide seminar in March 2018 in Providenciales and Caicos where business owners and farmers were taught about natural ways of fighting pests.

Another challenge to me is lack of support from the government due to the absence of improved institutions and governance for inclusive food systems within the islands. The government and other stakeholders have lagged in improving the institutions and governance mechanisms of the agricultural sector to improve productivity and sustainability (Paddock, 2017, P. 104). The agriculture sectors in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands have not been fully developed with new innovative techniques to produce food sustainably. However, the departments of agriculture seem to have identified the challenge and have recently carried out a farmer survey aimed at identifying the agricultural activities that exist as well as how they can be improved. Another challenge is also the lack of innovative and sufficient incentives and policies such as subsidies, taxes, regulations, and land tenure, payment for the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem, as well as access to the market. The governments lack these incentives and policies, especially for the citizens that depend highly on agriculture (Paddock, 2017, P. 110).

The climate change has become a huge challenge to me. The climate change is also affecting sustainable agriculture in, Turks and Caicos Islands. However, while climate change is a global phenomenon, the challenge in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands comes in where there is the lack of research, development, and innovation to promote adaptation and mitigation of climate change. The presence of an effective research agenda would have ensured sustainable strengthening with the effective utilization of resources, conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services as well as access by farmers. The climate change severely affects the infrastructure, the environment, and the livelihoods of the communities. The climate change also poses a serious threat to the economies of the Caribbean islands. Other sectors of Providenciales, Turks, and Caicos Islands have also been affected by the climate change. For instance, the economies of these islands rely largely on fisheries and tourism, which are also dependent on the state of the natural environment (Robinson, 2018, P. 13). Therefore, the effects of changes in climate negatively impact the livelihoods based on these sectors. The extent of the climate changes is projected to worsen than what is being experienced presently. As a result, there is an urgent need for a research agenda to adapt and mitigate climate change.

The personal challenge I have to sustainable agriculture is lack of financial support. Although I have the potential to cultivate crops and produce livestock, the kind of equipment and technology needed is too expensive. The governments of Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands lack investment and financial aid programs that support other programs such as food systems, improving nutrition, ending of hunger, as well as promoting sustainable agriculture. The lack of these investment and financial aid is another significant challenge to sustainable agriculture in these islands. Currently, most of the investment in agriculture sector comes from farmers, whom most of them are small scale. Most of the farmers are also poor, and investments in other sectors would as well improve their livelihoods. Amid all the above-discussed challenges to sustainable agriculture, some positive initiatives have been witnessed over the past years (Robinson, 2018, P. 16). However, it is apparent that more effort needs to be put in to improve awareness of sustainable agricultural production. Partnership and leadership of place theories are indispensable to creating a conducive environment for sustainable agriculture and food security in the Caribbean islands. With the absence of a strong political will to initiate changes and guarantee policy support, changes will not be adopted.

Partnerships Model in Addressing the Challenges to Sustainable Agriculture in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands

If one wants to tackle actual issues and attain actual change, he or she will need to work collaboratively with various individuals and organizations from different backgrounds. According to Brouwer et al. (2016), working with such people and organizations is "partnering for change," and it involves "multi-stakeholder partnership" (MSP). Although the various players may share a common aspiration or problem, they also have varying interests or "stakes." Globally, people are creating new partnerships, alliances, as well as coalitions, and many inspiring examples are up-and-coming of what can be attained when people mobilize to work together. However, agreeing to work collaboratively is not a guarantee for success. The manner in which the partnerships are created, the processes involved, the leadership capacity, and the facilitation skill will influence their development and how successful they will be. Mobilizing people to work together is not an easy task, but it is a way of maximizing the potential for innovation, human good, as well as transformative change (Brouwer et al., 2016, P. 6). To tackle the challenges of achieving sustainable agriculture in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands a multi-stakeholder partnership is necessary. The various stakeholders will include the respective government entities, the farmers, the non-governmental organizations, as well as the international communities.

The assumption supporting a partnership model is that only with complete and extensive cross-sector collaboration can we guarantee that initiatives of sustainable development are inventive, logical, and inclusive enough to tackle the most intractable challenges. Single sector approaches have been tested and have proved inadequate (Tennyson, 2003, P. 4)

The partnerships models that can address the challenges to sustainable agriculture in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands are those where the government collaborates together with the farmers and the farming organizations to supply the necessary financial aids among other aids that are needed (Collinge, Gibney and Mabey, 2013). The importance of offering financial aids is to ensure that the agricultural sector has the necessary funds it needs not only to grow but also to develop. One of the ways through which partnership can help increase sustainability in agriculture is through the government partn...