Lesannie Rose Wins 2025 National Youth in Agriculture Award for Pimento Grafting

Eighteen-year-old Lesannie Rose was ecstatic after winning the 2025 National Youth in Agriculture Award in the ‘Pimento Grafting’ category, at the 71st Denbigh Agricultural, Industrial and Food Show in Clarendon, on August 2.

A proud 4-H Club member and youth farmer, Lesannie comes from Westmoreland and is a sixth-form student at Frome Technical High School.

The National Youth in Agriculture Competition is spearheaded by a Committee, which is guided by the Jamaica 4-H Clubs.

“It was truly an honour to have won. I was confident about it because I got good training from the Westmoreland 4-H team,” she told JIS News in an interview.

Lesannie is a member of the Westmoreland 4-H Clubs and was encouraged by the team to participate in the competition.

“I am not one to go into competitions, because I am a shy person. I stepped out of my comfort zone, [and] I am growing more as a person,” she said.

Grafting is joining two plants together so that they grow together as one. “You want to ensure that you get another tree that is bearing,” she told JIS News.

She also chose to participate because this category sparked her interest, as she wished to learn more about the pimento industry, which contributes 90 per cent to Jamaica`s spice exports.

“I learnt about the pimento industry. People are not taking care of the trees [during] the planting or harvesting process. They are not replanting the trees, and it is a big spice industry for Jamaica,” said Lesannie.

Each competitor maintained a project book, detailing every stage of their pimento grafting process to track their progress.

“It is like an SBA, but you have pictures showing what you are doing and how you do it. Every step of the way we took pictures and described what was happening in the pictures in the project book,” she said.

“It was fun learning how to do different styles of grafting, even though I only (did) approach grafting for the pimento,” she added.

In her project book, Lessanie explained that approach grafting involves joining the stem of a seedling to the stem of a bearing plant of the same size and variety.

Advantages to approach grafting include a better survival rate, improved adaptation to unfavourable soil and climate, and plants produce fruits earlier.

Her passion for agriculture comes from early exposure through her family farm.

“I have loved agriculture from a tender age. I have a farm at my home. We plant corn, okra [and] pumpkin,” she told JIS News.

“Agriculture is fun. Being around animals and planting is fun. Getting to see that you grew something is inspiring,” Lesannie added.

She aspires to continue learning about agriculture and engaging with the Westmoreland 4-H Clubs` youth initiatives.

Lesannie was awarded a $10,000 cash prize. She enjoys her 4-H experience and encourages other young people to join for their growth and development.

The National Youth in Agriculture Competition aims to encourage youth to pursue careers in agriculture and agricultural-based industries.