Agricultural production in Martinique «is not enough» to ensure the territory’s food sovereignty
This is the first installment in a series that Antilla is publishing on the topic of food sovereignty in Martinique. For several years now, we’ve been hearing that local production «isn’t enough.» The statement has the elegance of the obvious and the comfort of resignation. Before exploring concrete avenues, this first article examines what this observation really says—and what it doesn’t say.
For the past few years, a recurring theme has been making its way through the debate on food in Martinique: producing locally is not enough.
The statement has the elegance of the self-evident and the comfort of compromise. It accurately describes the situation, but leads one astray regarding the conclusion that is all too often attributed to it: that of a dead end.
Because what she describes is not a wall. It is an unfinished chain, in which agricultural production exists without always finding an outlet, a means of processing, a fair price, or a market.
The overseas territories' dependence on food imports remains significant.
According to a report published by Vie publique, the overseas territories in question imported between 76 % and 98 % of their food supply in 2022. However, this data must be interpreted with caution: it applies to the overseas territories as a whole and does not represent a uniform rate applicable to every sector in Martinique.
A study published in May 2025 in the journal *Nature Food* sheds new light on the issue.
Of the 186 countries studied, Guyana is the only one to achieve a sufficient level of production across all seven food groups identified by the researchers. This result does not mean that the country is completely independent of international trade. The study measures production capacity relative to dietary recommendations, not absolute self-sufficiency.
Moreover, Guyana is not a model that can be directly applied to Martinique.
It is a sovereign state, with a land area and natural resources that are incomparable to those of the island. Martinique is a French outermost region, subject to European law, but eligible for specific financial programs such as the EAFRD, the ERDF, the POSEI, and France 2030. This situation constitutes an insular constraint. It also represents a statutory advantage.
The real question, then, is not whether Martinique can «produce everything.».
The question is whether it will be able to manage the journey from farm to table—by steering the value chain: financing, training, R&D, production, processing, distribution, and governance, as the links in a single system.
Simply producing isn't enough; you need a vision and a 360-degree development strategy.
Mikaël Glondu-Monnerville
