FAO Hosts Validation Workshop for US$30M Climate Resilient Agriculture Project

A critical validation workshop was convened on Thursday (March 27) to discuss the US$30-million ‘ADAPT Jamaica: Enhancing Climate Change Resilience of Vulnerable Smallholders in Central Jamaica’ Project.

The event was held at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in St. Andrew.

The workshop was hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, in partnership with the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF); the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining; and the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation.

Participants included farmers from the six target parishes – Trelawny, St. Ann, St. Elizabeth, Clarendon, St. Catherine and Manchester – among other stakeholders to provide feedback on the proposal, which will be presented to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) for consideration on April 8.

Policy Officer for Environment and Climate Change at the FAO, Jacinto Buenfil, highlighted the importance of the project.

“The idea is that we develop [and] put in place climate resilient practices, food loss and waste reduction solutions and technologies, [and] we set in place climate information services for farmers to be able to get early warnings and get better information to make decisions on the field,” he informed.

“We [propose that we] work in the central parishes in Jamaica with vulnerable famers [and] provide model farms so that there are solutions that can be presented, and then we upscale through the investment from the Green Climate Fund,” Mr. Buenfil added.

In addition to the US$30 million being sought from the GCF, the project will be co-financed by the JSIF, which has pledged US$5.6 million.

It is slated to run for six years.

Manager of Systems Operation and Environment at JSIF, Dr. Milton Clarke, highlighted the entity’s role as a delivery partner for the project.

“This project represents our commitment to building resilience through sustainable farming practices, improved water management, climate smart technologies and strong partnerships. By equipping farmers with knowledge, resources and tools to adapt, we are not only securing food production but also strengthening rural economies and protecting our natural ecosystem,” he said.

Meanwhile, Director of Project Monitoring and Evaluation in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Ian Chambers, who spoke on behalf of the Portfolio Minister, Hon. Floyd Green, underscored the project’s alignment with the Ministry’s agricultural development plans.

“[The project] is very important to the Ministry in that it fits snugly into our portfolio for the financial year 2025/26 in terms of our development projects. We have some new agro-production zones to be rolled out – new agro parks – and some of the crops that this project will be focusing on, we are targeting them to be implemented in these new production zones and agro-parks,” Mr. Chambers stated.

Consequently, he added, “It is very critical that we get it right [meaning getting] all the planning right and [getting] our act [together] in such a way that we can have a successful project.”

The target for implementation of the ADAPT Jamaica project is January 2026.

It will focus on several crops, including root vegetables, alliums, cucurbits, and nightshade vegetables, such as hot peppers and tomatoes, which are grown in central parishes.