I feel just as naive as you, and I've lived here over a year. I have no answers for you. I see food rotting at the markets everyday, and no one ever attempts to decrease the price at the end of the day or anything. I think one problem here is that the soil here is crap, although Surinamers would tell you otherwise.

I remember as a kid reading about slash and burn, and it still remains true. You can cut down the Amazon trees and farm the land, but it can only last so long, because those trees have long roots that reach way down for nutrients, and there is little to be had on the surface. I have seen a few places here with several inches of topsoil formed from deciduous forest leaves, but it's not the norm here at all.

I also think people just aren't willing to work that hard in the agricultural industry. The Haitians came here and outfarmed the Surinamers in a matter of years. I can't even imagine what Cambodian citizens would do here if given land grants. We are pretty spoiled vegan chefs, and most people rave about Suriname's food, but I've had authentic Chinese, Indian, and Indonesian foods, and none of the Suriname versions compare to the original.

You would think there might be a Malaysia type thing going on here, where the cultural melting pot would inspire creativity, experimenting and diversity, but it's much the opposite. There is only one choice in the whole country for a vegetarian roti filling, and that is potatoes and longbeans prepared the exact same way in every location. !ENGAGE 55