Facing Boldly the Scourge of Praedial Larceny on Food Production in the Caribbean

Agricultural crimes or farm theft, commonly referred to as praedial larceny throughout the Caribbean, impacts significantly on food security through high levels of economic loss. This paper provides an overview of praedial larceny worldwide, losses in the Caribbean region and some evidence from Trinidad and Tobago where the situation is prevalent. The study was guided by the routine activities theory; identifying the types of criminal acts perpetrated, the level of risks posed to farmers and a special emphasis on the concept of guardianship. Data from group discussions and interviews conducted among farmers in two major areas in Trinidad representing different terrain (flat and hilly areas) and an acknowledged ‘hot spot’ area. The findings show that praedial larceny is no respecter of farmers, farming communities, type of crops, location or farmers’ economic circumstances. Finally, the paper reports on initiatives around the region and suggests other mechanisms which can be introduced to reduce the impact of praedial larceny on food security.

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Domestic Food Production and Food Security in the Caribbean

10.1057/9781137296993 ◽

2013 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Clinton L. Beckford ◽

Donovan R. Campbell

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Food Production ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Domestic Food

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An impact assessment of the Child Growth, Development and Care Program in the Caribbean Region of Colombia

Cadernos de Saúde Pública ◽

10.1590/0102-311x00153514 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 31 (10) ◽

pp. 2099-2109 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Alcides de J. Padilla ◽

Juan C. Trujillo

Keyword(s):

Acute Respiratory Infection ◽

Diarrheal Disease ◽

Care Program ◽

Child Growth ◽

Acute Malnutrition ◽

Caribbean Region ◽

Quasi Experimental ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Growth Development ◽

The Impact

Abstract This article aims to assess the impact of the Child Growth, Development and Care Program in the Caribbean region of Colombia by analyzing variables such as maternal childcare practices and indicators of the nutritional status and health of children under the age of five. To this end, the authors used the quasi-experimental technique Propensity Score Matching. Positive impacts included a decrease in acute diarrheal disease, and an increase in immunization and seeking treatment for acute respiratory infection or fever symptoms. However, the program had little influence on chronic and acute malnutrition in the region.

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The Caribbean and its Linkages with the World

IMF Working Papers ◽

10.5089/9781498326766.001 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 (256) ◽

Author(s):

Mauricio Vargas ◽

Daniela Hess

Keyword(s):

Global Economy ◽

Caribbean Region ◽

Financial Variables ◽

The World ◽

Trading Partners ◽

Global Var ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Using Data ◽

The Impact ◽

The U.S

Using data from 1980-2017, this paper estimates a Global VAR (GVAR) model taylored for the Caribbean region which includes its major trading partners, representing altogether around 60 percent of the global economy. We provide stilyzed facts of the main interrelations between the Caribbean region and the rest of the world, and then we quantify the impact of external shocks on Caribbean countries through the application of two case studies: i) a change in the international price of oil, and ii) an increase in the U.S. GDP. We confirmed that Caribbean countries are highly exposed to external factors, and that a fall in oil prices and an increase in the U.S. GDP have a positive and large impact on most of them after controlling for financial variables, exchange rate fluctuations and overall price changes. The results from the model help to disentangle effects from various channels that interact at the same time, such as flows of tourists, trade of goods, and changes in economic conditions in the largest economies of the globe.

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Defining a Policy Nexus for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security in the Caribbean Region

Global Climate Change: Resilient and Smart Agriculture ◽

10.1007/978-981-32-9856-9_1 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-13

Author(s):

Wendy-Ann P. Isaac ◽

Wayne G. Ganpat ◽

Puran Bridgemohan ◽

Marlene Attzs

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Sustainable Agriculture ◽

Caribbean Region ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Agriculture And Food

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Food Forests and Home Gardens: Their Roles and Functions in Domestic Food Production and Food Security in the Caribbean

Domestic Food Production and Food Security in the Caribbean ◽

10.1057/9781137296993_8 ◽

2013 ◽

pp. 95-107

Author(s):

Clinton L. Beckford ◽

Donovan R. Campbell

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Food Production ◽

Home Gardens ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Domestic Food

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Assessment of food trade impacts on water, food, and land security in the MENA region

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ◽

10.5194/hess-23-557-2019 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

pp. 557-572 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Sang-Hyun Lee ◽

Rabi H. Mohtar ◽

Seung-Hwan Yoo

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Food Production ◽

Water Security ◽

Virtual Water ◽

Mena Region ◽

Food Trade ◽

Self Sufficiency ◽

Food Imports ◽

The Impact ◽

Domestic Food

Abstract. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has the largest water deficit in the world. It also has the least food self-sufficiency. Increasing food imports and decreasing domestic food production can contribute to water savings and hence to increased water security. However, increased domestic food production is a better way to achieve food security, even if irrigation demands an increase in accordance with projected climate changes. Accordingly, the trade-off between food security and the savings of water and land through food trade is considered to be a significant factor for resource management, especially in the MENA region. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyze the impact of food trade on food security and water–land savings in the MENA region. We concluded that the MENA region saved significant amounts of national water and land based on the import of four major crops, namely, barley, maize, rice, and wheat, within the period from 2000 to 2012, even if the food self-sufficiency is still at a low level. For example, Egypt imported 8.3 million t yr−1 of wheat that led to 7.5 billion m3 of irrigation water and 1.3 million ha of land savings. In addition, we estimated the virtual water trade (VWT) that refers to the trade of water embedded in food products and analyzed the structure of VWT in the MENA region using degree and eigenvector centralities. The study revealed that the MENA region focused more on increasing the volume of virtual water imported during the period 2006–2012, yet little attention was paid to the expansion of connections with country exporters based on the VWT network analysis.

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Identifying Users’ Requirements for Emergency Mapping Team Operations in the Dominican Republic

ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information ◽

10.3390/ijgi9030165 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 165

Author(s):

Gregorio Rosario Michel ◽

Santiago Muñoz Tapia ◽

Fernando Manzano Aybar ◽

Vladimir Guzmán Javier ◽

Joep Crompvoets

Keyword(s):

Dominican Republic ◽

Spatial Data ◽

Online Survey ◽

Caribbean Region ◽

Geospatial Information ◽

Data Infrastructure ◽

Future Studies ◽

Wide Range ◽

The Caribbean ◽

The Impact

In recent years, a growing number of stakeholders have been taking part in the generation and delivery of geospatial information and services to reduce the impact of severe natural disasters on the communities. This is mainly due to a huge demand for accurate, current and relevant knowledge about the impacted areas for a wide range of applications in risk-informed decision makings. The aim of this paper is to identify users’ requirements for emergency mapping team (EMT) operations in the Dominican Republic (DR). An online survey was applied to collect data from key users involved in the Inter-Institutional Geospatial Information Team in DR. Our findings suggest a set of users’ requirements for EMT operations: (1) standardization; (2) establishing and maintaining a spatial data infrastructure; (3) partnership; (4) effective communication among stakeholders; and (5) capacity building. A better understanding of the users’ requirements and the associated information workflows will lead to a superior level of readiness for EMT operations in DR. This knowledge will support future studies/practices at the local and national levels in the Caribbean region, which share similar challenges in terms of natural hazards and development issues.

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A review of assessment indicators used by Healthy Municipalities and Communities Program in Latin America and the Caribbean region

Health Promotion International ◽

10.1093/heapro/daz059 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 35 (4) ◽

pp. 714-729

Author(s):

Raul Chaparro ◽

Santiago Melendi ◽

Marilina Santero ◽

Mariana Seijo ◽

Natalia Elorriaga ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Promotion ◽

Latin America ◽

Local Level ◽

Lifestyle Changes ◽

Caribbean Region ◽

Promotion Policies ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Health Organization ◽

Evaluation And Monitoring ◽

The Impact

Abstract The Healthy Municipalities and Communities Strategy (HMCS) was developed by the Pan American Health Organization in 1990. Evaluation and monitoring are fundamental components of health promotion policies. The aim of this study is to explore the indicators used in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) countries to assess the performance of HMCS. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS, BVSDE and Google Advanced Search for documents published between January 2000 and April 2016. We included only documents with assessment indicators of the strategy. All articles were independently assessed for eligibility by pairs of reviewers. We classified the indicators with a supporting framework proposed by O’Neill and Simard (Choosing indicators to evaluate Healthy Cities projects: a political task? Health Promot Int 2006, 21, 145–152.). Local level indicators figured far more prominently among countries and were distributed both in projects and specific activities. Regarding the evolution of the HMCS, indicators were reported in the five levels of analysis (local projects and activities, provincial, national and international networks). Empowerment was represented through the presence of active community organizations and different methods of community participation (forums, open hearing and participation maps). Public policies (such as for tobacco cessation) and bylaws adherence and changes in school’s curricula regarding healthy eating were frequently mentioned. However, this review demonstrated that impact indicators related to lifestyle changes or built environment are not clearly defined and there is a lack of indicators to measure progress in achieving change in long-term outcomes in LAC. We highlight the importance of designing validated indicators for measuring the impact of health promotion policies in partnership with each country involved.

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Impact of hurricanes Irma and Maria on the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initial tsunami warning capability for the Caribbean region

Natural Hazards and Earth System Science ◽

10.5194/nhess-19-1865-2019 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (8) ◽

pp. 1865-1880

Author(s):

Victor Sardina ◽

David Walsh ◽

Kanoa Koyanagi ◽

Stuart Weinstein ◽

Nathan Becker ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Response Times ◽

Virgin Islands ◽

Tsunami Warning ◽

Caribbean Region ◽

Temporary Reduction ◽

Earthquake Detection ◽

The Pacific ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Seismic Networks ◽

The Impact

Abstract. In September 2017, hurricanes Irma and Maria wreaked havoc across the Caribbean region. While obliterating the infrastructure in the Caribbean nations found along their path, both hurricanes gradually destroyed the existing seismic networks. We quantified the impact of the hurricanes on the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) initial tsunami warning capability for the Caribbean region relying on the computation of theoretical earthquake detection and response times after accounting for hurricane-related station outages. The results show that the hurricanes rendered 38 % of the 146 stations available in the Caribbean inoperative. Within the eastern Caribbean region monitored by PTWC the hurricanes exacerbated outages to an astonishing 82 % of the available 76 seismic stations. Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the Lesser Antilles suffered the brunt of both hurricanes, and their seismic networks nearly disappeared. The double punch delivered by two successive category 5 hurricanes added up to 02:43 and 04:33 min to the earthquake detection and response times, effectively knocking out PTWC's local tsunami warning capabilities in the region. Emergency adjustments, including the temporary reduction of the number of stations required for earthquake detection and ML magnitude release, enabled a faster response to earthquakes in the region than otherwise possible in the aftermath of hurricanes Irma and Maria.

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