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CARIBBEAN QUILT 
2023 VOL. 7 NO. 1 
 

 86 

 

                                                                                  

 
 

                                                       

Climate Change and Globalization: Food Security in the 

Caribbean 
 
Donna Miller 

Centre for Caribbean Studies 

Faculty of Arts & Science, University of Toronto 

 

Donna is a proud Canadian-born St. Lucian and Jamaican. She is currently enrolled in her first year of a compressed nursing program at the University 

of Western Ontario. A few of her long-term aspirations include becoming a nurse practitioner and obtaining her Doctor of Nursing to pursue different 

leadership and/or teaching roles in nursing. She recently graduated from the University of Toronto, majoring in Human Biology and double minoring 

in Practical French and Caribbean Studies. While in school, she helped to serve my Caribbean community as an Administrative Director on the West 

Indian Students Association. A few of her hobbies include playing the piano, swimming, listening to music and of course, learning about her heritage 

and the impact that it continues to have on persons in the Caribbean and the diaspora. 

 

                                                                                  
 
KEYWORDS: 

Climate Change 

Caribbean 

Globalization 

Food Security 

Nutrition 

Greenhouse 

Trade Liberalizations 

Developmental jus-

tice 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 

ABSTRACT 

                                                                                    

Climate change and food security are among the world's biggest challenges. A growing population and climate change 

mean vulnerable regions like the Caribbean will continue to face unique strains. The effects of climate change are asso-

ciated with poverty and a decrease in food security because of the decline in food production and access to sufficient 

nutritious food. Trade liberalization increases the number of challenges experienced by the local Caribbean agricultural 

sector and has devastating effects on food security and rural livelihoods. Reduced crop diversity and production and low 

household incomes result in changed diets. These changes have increased the prevalence of non-communicable dis-

eases (NCDs), such as diabetes and hypertension, as well as obesity and other long-term health problems. Current and 

proposed strategies to aid with the challenges of climate change include further research on creating heat-tolerant cattle 

breeds, technological developments, micro-insurance interventions, and the expansion of greenhouse farming. The tra-

ditional and acquired knowledge and skills of individuals in the agricultural sector are fundamental in creating strategies 

to adapt to the impacts of climate change, and it is essential to ensure the strengthening of food security and food sov-

ereignty. Financial resources in the Caribbean are inadequate, and therefore, the Global North must pay its dues in shoul-

dering the responsibility of reducing the economic and environmental vulnerabilities in the Caribbean. 

Caribbean Quilt 
Journal Homepage: https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/cquilt/index 
 
 



CARIBBEAN QUILT 
2023 VOL. 7 NO. 1 
 

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Climate change and food security are among the world's 
biggest challenges. Both issues are exacerbated by their in-
teractions with each other. A growing population and cli-
mate change mean vulnerable regions like the Caribbean 
will continue to face unique strains. The Caribbean is ex-
periencing progressive warming over time, alterations in 
the frequency, duration and intensity of rainfall, and an in-
crease in tropical storms and hurricanes. These effects are 
associated with poverty and a decrease in food security be-
cause of the decline in food production and access to suf-
ficient nutritious food. 
 
This paper will investigate how climate change has af-
fected the Caribbean economically by examining the topic 
of globalization. It will also discuss the implications of cli-
mate change on food and agriculture. Moreover, it will ex-
plore how it has affected diets and food security and 
whether the region's people have adapted and how. Fur-
thermore, this paper will assess the strategies being ex-
plored to mitigate the ramifications of climate change. By 
reviewing the history of globalization, the interactions be-
tween climate change and food, and the proposed plans of 
action to adapt to current and projected challenges, one 
may better understand the importance of these compound-
ing effects and how it influences the region presently and 
in the future. 
 
Beckford and Rhiney describe globalization as the factors 
contributing to the world becoming a global village, such 
as barrier breakdowns of communication, trade, access to 
information and transportation. It is a process that pro-
motes the unification of countries socially and economi-
cally. Despite being viewed as a progressive and beneficial 
process, it highlights the poverty within developing re-
gions. Economic globalization in the Caribbean refers to 
reducing trade barriers that allow unrestricted competition 
in external economies. This trade liberalization increases 
the number of challenges experienced. Notably, the local 
agricultural sector devastates food security and rural live-
lihoods (Beckford and Rhiney 2016, 6-7). This is im-
portant to communicate due to agriculture's significance 
and essential role in the Caribbean despite its declining 
GDP contribution.  
 

Domestic food production in the Caribbean Community 
(CARICOM) is at an all-time low, driving members to be-
come net importers, except for Guyana and Belize, to deal 
with problems concerning the quality and quantity of food 
available to consumers (Beckford and Rhiney 2016, xvi). 
To understand why the Caribbean faces these persisting is-
sues, one must recall its history and how globalization has 
evolved its economy, demography, politics, sociocultural 
aspects, and environmental sectors. Since colonization, the 
region has been experiencing globalization through its 
transnational integrations, some of which have negatively 
impacted the Caribbean and are challenging to reverse. For 
example, during the plantation era, the Caribbean was suc-
cessfully dominated by the external influences of mainly 
Europe, Africa, and Asia. This domination brings forth a 
deliberate and forced dependence on developed countries, 
and previous colonizer states that pressures a dependency 
on external authorities, markets, and geopolitical agendas 
(Beckford and Rhiney 2016, 3-4).  
 
In terms of globalization, Wilk writes that the danger of the 
global food system is not on the minds of many when 
thinking about the economic systems that bring it to the 
table. Food can now connect politics and health, big cor-
porations and kitchens, and more. This means that those 
who have power gain the ability to control the “daily bread” 
of the powerless (2007, 14).  
 
Gahman and Thongs examine "development justice" in the 
Caribbean, which they state needs to take place to establish 
and secure a liveable future for inhabitants of the Carib-
bean, given the realities they face. In addition to climate 
change, they add that the Caribbean suffers challenges 
caused by (neo)colonial social connections and debt bond-
age. These challenges are sustained because of the lack of 
economic wealth in the region and the refusal of external 
organizations to pay reparations for the enslavement, in-
dentureship and dispossession of Indigenous people from 
their history and culture. The lack of monetary wealth, in 
turn, makes it challenging to finance climate change risk-
reduction strategies. It is argued that with the continuation 
of neoliberal policies and, thus, trade liberalization and pri-
vatization, growth and development are not possible. Con-
sequently, Caribbean governments negotiate economic 



CARIBBEAN QUILT 
2023 VOL. 7 NO. 1 
 

 88 

dependency with private investments and accept foreign 
loans as external assistance. If this dependency continues 
and climate change policies are premised on neoliberalism, 
the gap between the rich and the poor will increase, eco-
systems and wildlife will be reduced, and disaster risks, 
food insecurity, and vulnerability will increase (2020, 763-
764).  
 
The role of the Global North is to implement "development 
justice," in which systemic adjustments are made. The goal 
should be to reduce inequalities surrounding wealth, power, 
and resources between countries, the rich and the poor, and 
men and women (Gahman and Thongs 2020, 768). In 
terms of climate change which will continue to be an on-
going issue, improvements must be made to reduce the ef-
fects of the expected increase in life-threatening catastro-
phes, which may be done by providing both resources and 
financial assistance without the expectation of receiving 
payments back. Scholars and politicians must demonstrate 
responsibility by abstaining from reverting to historical 
tendencies of imperialism, land dispossession, white su-
premacy, colonialism, and neoliberal approaches when in-
itiating recovery efforts in the Caribbean (Gahman and 
Thongs 2020, 773).  
 
Globalization is only one part of global change which 
shapes agricultural trends and the vulnerabilities of Carib-
bean agriculture. The other part is environmental change. 
Both have affected export agriculture and domestic food 
production. Vulnerabilities to Caribbean agriculture may 
also be looked at as a result of shocks and stresses. Envi-
ronmental shocks include hurricanes and floods and envi-
ronmental stresses consist of soil erosion and shifts in rain-
fall patterns (Barker 2012, 43). Since the 1960s, the re-
gion’s climate has been changing immensely with rising air 
and sea temperatures, an increase in the severity of hurri-
canes and a reduction in rainfall. However, this observation 
is not constant within the region. Consequences to domes-
tic production and export agriculture would include a de-
cline in the water available for crops because of an increase 
in evapotranspiration. In addition, rising sea levels are ex-
pected to cause more damage to rice and sugar crops by 
flooding rivers and other flooding events. Coastal regions 
in the Caribbean are especially vulnerable as these 

locations are used for export crops, namely rice and sugar 
cane (Barker 2012, 43).  
 
The principal agricultural export in Grenada is nutmeg. It 
exports the second most nutmeg after Indonesia. Before 
hurricane Ivan, there were 6,500 nutmeg farmers and over 
30,000 people whose income was associated with nutmeg 
production and distribution. Hurricane Ivan destroyed 90% 
of nutmeg trees while the area used to grow nutmeg was 
decreased by 29%. Consequently, production was reduced 
by over 60%. Cocoa, commonly grown with nutmeg as an 
understory crop was also damaged. Both these crops take 
years to recover. Therefore, the nutmeg and cocoa sector 
rehabilitation severely cost the country as they could not 
export pre-Ivan amounts for several years. In addition to 
the food production that was affected by the environmental 
shock of hurricane Ivan, people lost their sources of in-
come, and there was a lower contribution to agricultural 
exports and, thus, a lower contribution to the county's GDP 
(Barker 2012, 50).  
 
Reduced crop diversity and production and low household 
incomes result in changed diets. Families are experiencing 
difficulties acquiring enough nutritious food. Home cook-
ing and agricultural labour are being regarded more with 
contempt; meanwhile, the consumption of cheap, imported, 
processed foods and drinks continues growing. Children 
are at the forefront of this shift in consumption with a 
changing preference for sweet, soft, and easy-to-cook 
foods rather than cassava or plantain. Many processed im-
ported foods in the Caribbean include corned beef, soft 
drinks, tinned fish, rice, flour and instant noodles. The con-
sumption of these imported goods creates an urban nutri-
tion problem because of the limited access to agricultural 
land, low incomes and the comparatively lower cost of im-
ported foods compared to local fresh foods, which are, 
therefore, consumed by households classified as relatively 
poor (Connell et al. 2020, 10).    
 
These changes in food consumption and poor nutrition 
have increased the prevalence of non-communicable dis-
eases (NCDs) such as diabetes and hypertension. The cur-
rent trends in economics interconnected with urbanization 
and environmental change have significantly affected the 



CARIBBEAN QUILT 
2023 VOL. 7 NO. 1 
 

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health of individuals in the Caribbean. Governments are 
aware of this growing public health issue; however, they 
tend to avoid taking action, such as heavily taxing or ban-
ning imported goods, fearing a decline in votes during 
elections. Enormous hormonal and physiological changes 
resulting from the inter-generational outcomes of poor nu-
trition have been detected in fetal development. These out-
comes include NCDs, obesity and other long-term health 
problems. These cumulative effects, in turn, increase 
healthcare costs and decrease healthcare efficiency in a 
system historically known to have had more communica-
ble and “tropical” diseases. Resources and labour are 
needed to treat such diseases, which are more costly and 
intensive (Connell et al. 2020, 13-14).  
 
Climate change's impact on agriculture and fisheries must 
be minimized to alleviate the threat to food security in the 
Caribbean. With factors such as globalization and climate 
change, the Caribbean must take action to prevent adverse 
impacts and better prepare for changing and intensifying 
climatic conditions. This will ensure that food security and 
food sovereignty are safeguarded and enhanced. 
Lenderking, Robinson and Carlson describe food security 
as the ability of people to have physical, social and eco-
nomic access to a sufficient quantity and quality of food 
that meets their dietary requirements for a healthy life. 
Food security becomes reduced when put at risk by climate 
change: food availability, access, stability, and utilization 
decrease. Food security challenges and strategies to allevi-
ate them were analyzed to determine whether they are ef-
fective and how they can be ameliorated (2020, 238-239).  
 
Challenges faced in Caribbean small island developing 
states (SIDS) include a reduction in crop growth rate, yield, 
and fertilization, the heat stress of various animals, and an 
inability of specific households to afford adequate, nutri-
tious food. One proposed strategy included obtaining a 
global perspective on solutions to increase agricultural re-
search and development. Further research was suggested 
for creating heat-tolerant cattle breeds in Puerto Rico and 
the US Virgin Islands, where beef and dairy are primarily 
produced. Other proposed advancements included techno-
logical developments—information and communication 
technology, artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and 

biotechnology. In terms of helping lower-income families 
adapt to economic barriers, it was advised that policies be 
implemented to increase income opportunities for rural 
households who typically find employment in agriculture. 
This would aid in diversifying livelihoods and securing a 
more stable income. Lastly, it was put forward that govern-
ance and institutional capacity must be improved to im-
prove food security and climate adaptation. These govern-
ments should have policies focused on local and traditional 
knowledge and building communities with the capacity 
and resources available to help reshape and form their food 
supplies (Lenderking, Robinson, and Carlson 2020, 241-
242).  
 
Thomas-Hope describes food security as a process that 
commences with food production and ends with consump-
tion. Food availability is also often considered in terms of 
the quantity and variety of food available to be distributed. 
It is also expressed in terms of accessibility, including the 
affordability and ability to access nutritious and culturally 
preferred food. To make this possible, households must 
have an income that allows purchasing locally produced 
foods and other food items such as sugar and salt to com-
plement the food. The different abilities in food acquisition 
between households lead to variations in food security. Not 
only is economic capacity critical, but also self-sufficiency 
and the ability to purchase food from other countries. 
(2017, 3-4). Addressing the structural inequalities is one 
long-term solution to manage the stressors brought on by 
climate change. Knowledge sharing between institutions, 
local farmers, and the more vulnerable, specifically the 
poor, is also required to ensure that strategies incorporate 
culturally and socially grounded solutions (Thomas-Hope 
2017, 9).  
 
Spence explores the use of micro-insurance interventions 
as a method to strengthen food security in CARICOM 
countries. This strategy would target small-scale farmers 
and fishers to help them recover from the impacts of cli-
mate change (2017, 206). Micro-insurance with low-cost 
premiums built into insurance portfolios consists of tai-
lored interventions that would assess the risk of impact 
from environmental disasters on low-income families, pro-
duction groups and communities and provide payment 



CARIBBEAN QUILT 
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based on the likelihood and cost of the determined risks 
(Spence 2017, 210).  
 
Many concerns surface when considering the use of micro-
insurance. One salient question that must be asked is how 
adequate the funds would be when provided to a given 
farmer or production group when a disaster arises. In other 
words, will paying insurance premiums amount to the 
funds required to build back a more robust agricultural sec-
tor and reduce environmental vulnerabilities or will it be 
used in ways that are not sustainable? Regardless of 
whether or not the funds are sufficient, it is a matter of if 
countries in the Caribbean have the required resources, 
technology, and knowledge to create alternatives to agri-
cultural products, better hurricane detection equipment and 
materials to build a stronger infrastructure and ultimately 
enhance food security. This is one reason why the Carib-
bean should not be the sole region to take on responsibility 
for climate change. More prominent, developed countries 
that have the resources, money and power should be the 
ones to provide not only funds but the tools and knowledge 
instead of the individuals who already come from low-in-
come households who may not be able to afford insurance 
premiums. Therefore, if used as an intervention, afforda-
bility and sustainability must be considered (Spence 2017, 
211).  
 
Adaptations that individuals within the Caribbean are de-
veloping include creating planning documents that outline 
strategies to aid with decreasing the ongoing and fore-
casted vulnerabilities of climate change impacts. Current 
adaptation planning documents from Caribbean SIDS were 
evaluated to assess their contents, and substantial differ-
ences were found in their guidance on vulnerability risk 
assessments and climate hazard risks. Improving these 
shortcomings may improve adaptation planning in the Car-
ibbean. Government ministries in CARICOM, the focus 
group, have been trained in adaptation planning in the Car-
ibbean since 2013. These groups of people involve minis-
tries responsible for climate change policies, non-govern-
mental organizations, and banks (Thomas et al. 2019, 
2013-2015).  
 
Another initiative taken up by communities in the 

Caribbean includes the expansion of greenhouse farming. 
In 2011, Spain and CARICOM provided special education 
and training in greenhouse technology to various countries 
in the region. Shortly after, St. Kitts and Nevis opened the 
region's largest greenhouse, St. Kitts Eco-Park (an agro-
tourism destination), in 2014. Among the benefits of green-
house technology includes minimizing environmental vul-
nerabilities to crops, consistent production, and the 
knowledge of managing crops (Beckford and Norman 
2016, 205). Some challenges associated with establishing 
greenhouse technologies in the Caribbean include the cost 
to construct them, the cultural reluctance to change to 
greenhouse technology, and the hesitancy of creditors to 
fund greenhouses due to the high perceived risks. To re-
duce these challenges, education should be made available 
and economically accessible to small-scale farmers, public 
awareness regarding greenhouse farming may be con-
ducted through public education, and access to credit 
should be granted to farmers (Beckford and Norman 2016, 
208).  
 
The traditional and acquired knowledge and skills of indi-
viduals in the agricultural sector are fundamental in creat-
ing strategies to adapt to climate change's current and pro-
jected impacts. It is essential to ensure the strengthening of 
food security and food sovereignty. However, their finan-
cial resources are inadequate. Therefore, the Global North 
must pay its dues in shouldering the responsibility of re-
ducing the economic and environmental vulnerabilities in 
the Caribbean. By reviewing the history of globalization, 
the interactions between climate change and food, and the 
current and proposed plans of action to adapt to these chal-
lenges, the purpose of creating a more secure future for 
people in the Caribbean becomes not only more urgent but 
necessary.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



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2023 VOL. 7 NO. 1 
 

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