Food shortages and increasing hunger are making news all over the world. As small islands, we in the Caribbean rely on many imported products. However as fuel costs rise, it forces up the price of these goods and shortages in global production mean that we definitely need to think seriously about making the most of locally available goods.

I’ve been doing an informal assessment of my daily diet to see what proportion is local versus the amount is from overseas. Overall I’ve been doing pretty well anyway but this simple analysis has shifted some habits. For instance, I realized that breakfast I was eating a lot of oats with dried fruits all of which are imported, so even though I still enjoy an occasional bowl of oats porridge I have instead been eating breakfasts of plantain and salad with home-made fruit juices and cocoa tea. To further experiment with local ingredients I recently made green banana porridge too which was interesting. It’s not really a substitute for the oats but a new flavour that adds variety and makes an alternative use of this local staple.

Bread is another food that a lot of people consume in high proportions but relies on wheat flour which is not grown in the Caribbean. Again there are alternatives and bread can be creatively substituted with breadfruit, plantain or by making cassava bread. (Tip: The most delicious cassava bread in Dominica, possibly the world, is to be found in the Carib Territory) Another option is to do like one of my friends does and dehydrate local ground provisions such as yam, dasheen or tania and grind them into flour. Yes it’s a little more work but these yield some interesting results and can be mixed with a little wheat flour to stretch it further. Continue reading "Eat Local and Get Farming – Solutions to the Global Food Crisis"