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POST #7: Silo Institutions - Looking at the silo mentality of the various institutions that are involved in getting the policy off the ground
by Afiya De Sormeaux, Junior Consultant, CaRAPN

Correct me if I'm wrong, but is the silo mentality of both private and public institutions a major setback for food and nutrition security in the Region? Feel free to contradict/ comment. I'm not just blowing hot air here. I'm talking from experience having interacted with a number of the agricultural institutions at the local (in Trinidad), regional and international levels. What I have found is that many of the institutions are either not doing what they are suppose to be doing; doing what someone else is already doing (or has already Source: http://bcdwp.web.tamhsc.edu/webmaster/2010/08/30/silomentality-and-problem-solving-in-higher-education-institutions/ done); or doing the bare minimum (or nothing at all) with respect to advancing food and nutrition security especially amongst the more vulnerable and at risk groups (i.e. rural and urban poor, elderly, children). As a result, as expressed by Mr. Julius Gittens (expert journalist out of Barbados) at the Agriculture Round Table (ART) Dominica 2011, this kind of silo mentality is, or will eventually, hurt the overall objective of (in this case) becoming food and nutrition secure. Now for each scenario (and this may be a surprise to some) the governments of the region may be tackled. I suggest before you write a monologue on how I, or people like me, are always fighting the government, do some research before, or take it to the Lord in prayer, because I am basing my arguments on facts. So who is not doing what they are supposed to do? Thats easy, EVERYBODY! Ok well maybe not everybody, but many of the stakeholders in this food and nutrition industry are doing their own thing, which may not necessarily be beneficial or as effective as it should be. Let's start with the people. The people can be treated as an institution since they are the end users - the clients as it were, of the output of many of these organizations. However, they rarely express their needs, except when disaster strikes (in which case they express personal concerns and not issues -See post # 5 on the difference), or maybe when answering a questionnaire for research. So the people as an institution may not be relaying the necessary information to better serve them and as a result, they are not playing their part, or performing a contributing role in the scheme of things. Another institution that is not doing what they are supposed to is the government. Seriously, they always do what they think is right. Now I'm not saying they are always wrong, but consider the fact that they almost never do the 'most beneficial' thing looking at the benefit to the economy and stakeholders in the subject area. So take the scenario of nutrition security where agriculture, health, education, tourism and trade are major stakeholders. The Trinidad and Tobago government's initial idea of food security was having 11 months worth of coverage for food in the treasury. Clearly we can be food secure for 11 months; we will live, but is that 'most
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beneficial' way to solidify food security. I think many institutions need to check themselves and determine whether or not they are keeping in line with the objectives/mandates of their organizations with respect to food and nutrition security. And who is doing what someone else is doing? One word: Extension. For the life of me, I do not understand how farmers decide who they take their information from. Naturally, your first instinct might be from the government-provided extension division. However, consider that several other private sector agricultural companies and organizations have started an extension service (e.g. Caribbean Chemicals and NAMDEVCO in Trinidad), the dynamism in this area is changing. Unfortunately, this usually means information overload which may ultimately lead to a breakdown in communicating the right information to the right farmer because farmers tend to be information specific. Yes, the farmer has to make a decision as to what information he\she Regional Food & Nutrition Security PolicyCARICOM, General Considerations 1.12, p. 4-6 absorbs and uses. But please dont label the Clearly, a common approach that builds on the farmers as backward when they decide to use comparative advantage of individual Member traditional methods when conflicting sources of States will improve availability, accessibility and information are presented to him\her. The other affordability of food, especially for the most vulnerable. However, a consideration of paramount side of that coin is the fact that some institutions importance in support of a regional approach and may be redundant in relaying information. A lot policy for food and nutrition security is that it will enable Member States to secure for their private of resources can be conserved if institutions and public sectors as well as for households and become more transparent and allow other communities throughout the region, benefits and institutions to see their work and its outcomes, economic externalities that they would be unable to access acting in isolation, and at a lower cost than thereby reducing instances of redundancy or they would otherwise face. Benefits that could be duplication of efforts. But you know, some better accessed at national level through a regional institutions may actually rely on another to take approach to food and nutrition security include: Food Availability-Production/Trade initiative and consider it work when they repeat Food Access-Social Welfare/Equity the same initiative. Consider that! Food Utilization/Nutritional Adequacy/Stability And who is doing very little or nothing at all? Well, everybody will like to think they are doing the best they could. But I have seen some very passionate, very skilled individuals being stuck in institutions, behind desks, whereas their real value to the objective is in the field. Then there are some field agents who can better serve behind a desk. More than that, certain individuals are actually a better fit for a different organization but are stuck in a less efficient position because of a communication/ institutional deficiency in resource allocation. The fact is, whatever the circumstance, a silo mentality will never make an industry as efficient as it should be. The Regional Food and Nutrition Policy in its General Consideration 1.12 recognizes that there is a need to mobilize the resources of the different institutions, but in an efficient and effective way. It also recognizes that synergies must be achieved through harmonization of efforts and proper communication for greater efficiency. But in a region where
of Supply-Natural Resources/Environment Stability of Supply-Institutions/ Infrastructure/ Resource Mobilization

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everyone wants to make a mark, have their name in bright lights, or win some irrelevant award, who will make that crucial first move to be transparent enough such that their industry peers can lend a hand, or at least be more effective. Then again, I might be doing here what someone else is doing on an academic platform. So I guess there is room to correct me if I'm wrong

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