Agriculture Ministry Signs MOU with UWI Mona

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to strengthen research, education, training and technical capacity in agriculture, veterinary public health, and zoonotic disease management.

The agreement was signed during a ceremony at the Ministry’s offices in Kingston on Wednesday (November 4).

It seeks to combine the scientific expertise, research facilities, and academic resources of the UWI Mona with the Ministry’s agricultural-sector knowledge, field resources, data, and stakeholder networks to address priority agricultural and public health challenges, improve disease surveillance and diagnostic capabilities, and strengthen agricultural productivity.

The agreement also supports national development priorities under Vision 2030 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In his remarks, Portfolio Minister, Hon. Floyd Green, welcomed the signing of the MOU, while noting that it brings the UWI and the Ministry together in a framework where the University through its knowledge base and its appetite for research can help move the country forward.

He stated that the Ministry sees the partnership as an opportunity to drive innovation, address productivity issues across the agriculture sector and to tackle issues related to climate change.

Minister Green said the UWI, with its slew of researchers, is well positioned to help lead the charge to addressing the various challenges.

“So, for us, this MOU, which establishes a sort of collaborative framework between the UWI Mona and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, will help us to strengthen research, education, training, and technical capacity,” he stated.

The Minister noted that there are projects already under way with the UWI, which gave great impetus for the parties to formalise the arrangement.

Meanwhile, he expressed hope that the partnership will lead to more students choosing degrees in agriculture.

Mr. Green noted that while the UWI consistently attracts some of Jamaica’s best and brightest minds, many students pursue other degree programmes without realising the vast potential within the agricultural sector.

He explained that through closer collaboration, the Ministry and the university can jointly demonstrate to students that agriculture represents one of the single best business opportunities available in the country.

“Overarchingly, this is extremely positive… . Let us use this as a platform to really drive growth throughout our agriculture and fisheries sectors,” the Minister emphasised.

For his part, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal at the UWI Mona Campus, Professor Densil Williams noted that the University was honoured to sign the agreement and is happy that the Government has recognised what the UWI can bring to support value creation in agriculture.

“We see ourselves as the intellectual capital of this country and this region, and we serve as that bedrock to support institutions like the Ministry of Agriculture and, I dare say, all our institutional partners in the country,” he said.

Professor Williams emphasised that the partnership is critical, as it will provide important data needed to support the research endeavours at the University.

“I want to thank you all for this opportunity, and to say how pleased and grateful we are at the University to join with the Ministry, and join with the Government of Jamaica, to ensure that we provide value-added research to advance policy and find solutions to big problems across our agricultural sector,” he added.