When key products are manufactured locally and even regionally, this:
✅ Reduces dependence on imported finished products > Socioeconomic resilience.
✅ Keeps food available even during global disruptions > National food security.
✅ Creates local jobs and skills > Capacity Building and Strengthening.
✅ Lowers the overall environmental footprint > Climate Change Mitigation.
Local processing gives countries more control over price, availability, and quality, which matters when global supply chains break down, and so is key to a more resilient socioeconomic system.
Food security starts at home, particularly for the more vulnerable Small Island Developing States such as the Caribbean.
This is a key component of a more Circular Economy, with shorter resource loops and value staying closer to home.