Norris R. McDonald | Emancipation, Babylon breadcrumbs and the joy of self-sufficiency!

“ Old pirates, yes, they rob I,

Sold I to the merchant ships,

Minutes after they took I,

From the bottomless pit”

— Bob Marley, Redemption Song

EMANCIPATION ON August 1, 1838, saw the abolition of slavery as a racially oppressive political economic system. Coming out of slavery and colonialism, ex-slaves and Maroon communities turned to the hills, cultivating the land and sustaining their families. They were autonomous, resourceful, and self-reliant.

Colonial authorities used violence, intimidations, unjust tax and other diabolical schemes trying to stop the emergent Black working class escape injustices of colonialism and slave society.

It has been a long journey to now the attainment of political independence on August 6, 1962, which our nation and people are celebrating.

BABYLON BREADCRUMBS

It’s now 187 years since emancipation and 63 years since political independence. That tradition of independence did not continue with the emergence of Jamaica as a new nation-state. The country instead became dependent on foreign loans, on Babylon’s breadcrumbs, including their surplus agricultural products, aid and grants!

My friends, here’s the ‘bitta truth’: More than 60 per cent of the food Jamaicans consumes is imported – the result of IMF-dictated open-market policies. What kind of development strategy prioritises imported food from borrowed IMF loans? How can we ever create national savings for investment and nation building if we continue to pursue such irrational policies?

THE IMF’S FOOD IMPORT TRAP

In 2016 alone, Jamaica’s food import bill stood at US$900 million. By 2024, it had sharply risen to US$1.7 billion – a staggering increase of nearly US$100 million per year.

In just eight years Jamaica spent a staggering US$11.6 billion importing food including those we once produced.

The national external debt, in the meantime, has grown to US$13.25 billion. In 2024 alone, Jamaica paid US$895 million in interest – money funnelled to international creditors while local farmers suffer. In essence, we now spend US$2 billion annually on imported food and foreign debt service – while rural economy and society collapsed.

A summary of Bank of Jamaica data reveals that since 2019 to now the cost of basic goods and services skyrocketed by a whopping 25 per cent!

A closer look reveals that the cost of imported cereals, canned goods, and dairy products has jumped 25 per cent in recent years. Meat and fish are up 20 per cent. Rice, flour, and sugar have increased 15 per cent, while fruits and vegetables have spiked by 25 per cent.

Wages in the meantime, are not keeping pace with this trend of high cost of living. The continued decline in local food production, substituted by rising food imports, amid higher prices, worsens the quality of life for poor people and the middle class.

It is an inescapable fact of life that good nutrition is necessary and essential for people to thrive. Children, babies, lactating mothers and the elderly are the most vulnerable members of our society. Proper nutritious meals, including for the workforce,reduce the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other chronic illness. Studies have also shown that healthy workers perform better on the jobs.

A FOOD SECURITY PLAN

To break this hunger and poverty perpetuating cycle, we need bold, pragmatic solutions. I therefore asked agricultural finance expert Leroy Cooke, a veteran of the Jamaica Agricultural Society and the People’s Co-operative Bank: how can Jamaica escape the food import dependency trap and achieve food security?

Mr Cooke proposes bold solutions. In his view, the first symbolic and strategic step would be to rename the ‘Ministry of Agriculture’ to the ‘Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development’.

This changing mindset, would reflect a fundamental shift – from traditional roles to a more urgent food security and national development strategy

But beyond symbolism, there must be teeth. Cooke affirms that agriculture can become profitable – if the government links it to the island’s largest industry: tourism.

“Hotels must be required to purchase at least 70 per cent of their food from large, medium-sized, and small local farmers – with penalties for non-compliance,” he says. That policy could help revitalise Jamaica’s agricultural sector.

Leroy Cooke has worked with farmers, bankers, and policymakers and has presented policy papers to international audiences in America, Germany, Canada, Cuba, and Venezuela.

Drawing from his rich experiences, Cooke recommends government support for large-scale farming units and community agro-factories, as well as a national school-feeding programme using local produce.

“These initiatives would generate jobs, reduce imports, and create a strong, vibrant domestic market for farmers,” he said.

Investor confidence, of course, requires legislative protection. Legal and fiscal frameworks, including the reform of The Cooperative Societies Act; to give institutional s upport to those who want to grow food, build agro-industries, and reduce Jamaica’s dependence on foreign markets.

THE JOY OF SELF-SUFFICIENCY

Food security is economic security. When the global system of world domination, imperialism, controls a nation’s food supply, they don’t just control bellies – they control minds. They suppress independent thought, undercut productivity, and weaken the will to a truly independent nation.

These are not utopian dreams. They are pragmatic, nation-building policies that Leroy Cooke lays out – backed by expertise and common sense.

Let’s recall that nearly every home, even in the inner city, once raised chickens, pigs, goats, or ducks. You could walk outside and cut fresh callaloo, pick gungo peas, or dig yams, coco, dasheen or cut bananas. You could catch janga, crab, or fish from the river or sea.

That’s the joy of self-sufficiency!

From mountainside terraces to irrigation ditches, rural Jamaicans once fed themselves and built vibrant local markets.

VANK BABYLON BREADCRUMBS!

In this, the 187th year of Emancipation and 63rd year of political independence, we must ask: Will our future be built on imported rice and borrowed dollars, or with Jamaican hands rapidly expanding agriculture and food supply?

Reclaiming our food systems is not just a policy goal – it must become fundamental to economic emancipation.

Vank Babylon!

No more excuses. No more dependency. No more reliance on Babylon breadcrumbs!

Let us take control of our destiny, harvest our wealth and build a strong economic independent nation that can feeds our people from our own resources!

That is the bitta truth!

Norris R. McDonald is an author, economic journalist, political analyst, and respiratory therapist. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com or miaminorris@yahoo.com