Prime Minister P.J. Patterson (right) accepts the Agricola Medal from Dr. Jacques Diouf, director general of the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organisation. - Winston SillPRIME MINISTER P.J. Patterson was on Monday night presented with the Agricola Medal of the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) for his efforts at promoting food security locally, regionally and internationally.
The award was presented by Dr. Jacques Diouf, director general of the FAO, at a ceremony on the lawns of Jamaica House, during which he lauded the Prime Minister's efforts at poverty alleviation.
The Government, Dr. Jacques said, had always been committed to the promotion of food security and the achievement of food for all Jamaicans -- a commitment that was reflected in the numerous initiatives advocated to this end within the country.
He said the country continued to be committed to the implementation of the World Food Summit Plan of Action (1996) and to the struggle against hunger and undernutrition at the local, regional and international levels. And he lauded the Government for hosting the Telefood Concert at James Bond Beach in 1999.
The FAO head pointed to the "massive" domestic food crop and marketing programme being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and said it was deserving of special attention. He also cited initiatives to restructure the problem-plagued dairy and sugar industries, the expansion of extension services and the restructuring of the Jamaica Agricultural Society as crucial to the Government's drive towards food security. "The FAO publicly recognises these efforts on the part of the Government and people of Jamaica," Dr. Diouf said.
Mr. Patterson, in his acceptance speech, said there were still challenges to overcome, despite the fact food security in Jamaica and most of the Caribbean had remained constant throughout much of the 1990s. He noted while the region performed "slightly better" than the global average, it was still under-achieving given its tremendous potential.
The FAO's pledge is to eradicate hunger in all countries, beginning with the reduction of the number of under-nourished people by half no later than 2015.
Past winners of the Agricola Award were Pope John Paul II, French President Jaques Chirac, Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien and Ghana's President Jerry Rawlings.
