This is a tricky definition in the Caribbean region.

 Local in the U.S. in terms of food could mean a food item grown/created within 100 miles or within the same state. Most islands are not that large and political boundaries differ from island to island (e.g. parishes, constituencies, villages, towns, cities, districts). 

 

We import most of our source materials (fuel included) so this confuses and limits how we use, understand and value "local" labels.

 

Still, "local" labels are valuable. The fact that a product/technology is local means that as consumers we have more access to validate them and determine whether they are worth our money! With local access, it is easier for us to ask questions, test and see these products/serv ices for ourselves.

 

So we (Better Caribbean) are going to define local in 3 ways specific to whether the product/service is - Locally Owned, Locally Manufactured or Locally Made in each island. To simplify the challenge of varying political boundaries, we will define local at the island level. 

For example -  A Barbadian business imports technology and materials to create a new product with their unique intellectual property - Locally manufactured (Barbados) 

 

A  Trinidadian business creates a website with a regional target audience which facilitates the exchange of consulting services specific to solar technology. This business is owned by a resident in Trinidad and provides services both in Trinidad and the region - Locally owned (Trinidad).

 

A  Vincentian business uses coconut husk collected in St.Vincent to create biodegradable paper in St.Vincent - Locally Made (St.Vincent)

 

Why are products with a local label valuable?

With imported products/services there are aspects of their supply chain or operations which we can not see, so we need to depend on other labels - Fair-trade, organic etc and still there is a degree of trust and limited access.

 

With locally labelled products we can be more sure that these products/services marketed truthfully....only if we use our access to validate them ourselves.

 

If a product or service is provided locally then we can validate the quality, reliability and degree of social/environmental responsibility of their business operations by visiting their place of business or giving them your feedback. 

As a Locally Owned Business, if you have Locally Made Products or you sell Locally Manufactured Products, then customer feedback is the best information you can use to grow or improve your business. You know this, so are you using your customer feedback efficiently?