A review of school feeding programmes in the Caribbean Community

Book excerpt: This review provides a snapshot of the state-of-art of School Feeding Programmes in 14 of the 15 CARICOM Member States. It provides an overview of the different models of school feeding programmes that currently exist in the Caribbean, challenges faced and recommendations for improvement. Among the aspects evaluated include: the governance structure, nutritional quality of meal served, linkages with small farmers for the procurement of products used in the meals, involvement of children in school gardens related activities, etc. The document includes a case study for each of the participating countries (namely Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago). For each of these countries, an Annual Net Benefit Analysis was conducted, using information collected in 2017. The aim is that the document can provide preliminary information and recommendations that can be relevant for governments, public organizations, donors, opinion leaders, private sectors, and others toward strengthening school feeding programmes in the Caribbean. It was developed with the support of the University of the West Indies and the Caribbean Agro-Economic Society under the leadership of Prof. Carlisle Pemberton and Dr. Hazel Paterson-Andrews.