The community of Clifton in St. Catherine has established a farm on more than seven acres of land donated by the Sugar Company of Jamaica Holdings Limited (SCJH). Residents of the area, mainly females, are cultivating okra, corn, tomato, lettuce and other crops. They will use earnings from the venture to help young single mothers, train young males, and beautify...

Farming, a profession not popularly known to attract youth in Jamaica, has proven to be a fulfilling passion for friends, Jevaughn Whyte and Terrique Goldson, who with their business partner, agriculturalist Patrick White, successfully operate OMG Farms. “OMG Farms is the number-one cultivator of pineapples in Jamaica, and we will be expanding into other produce. We started essentially because we...

Farmers across the island who have been complaining about being unable to reach markets due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) now have a global platform called OEXONE that they can join to upload and list their crop outputs, take orders and receive payments directly to their bank accounts from buyers around the world. The OEXONE platform facilitates diaspora trade, commerce and...

More than 1,000 St. James residents attended the Social Development Commission’s (SDC) Community Market and Business Fair, which was held at Rose Hall, in the parish, on Thursday (July 16). The event formed part of a series of fairs being held across the island to bring farmers and other small businesses, which have been affected by the Coronavirus (COVID –...

The Hi-Pro Division of the Jamaica Broilers Group has donated 260 bags of Hi-Pro Feed and 40 crop kits to small farmers in St. James who have been affected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The donations form part of Hi-Pro’s #GROWSTRONG campaign, a five-month-long initiative during which Hi-Pro has committed to donating more than 3,000 bags of Hi-Pro Feed...

The Government is making significant investments in the agricultural sector to safeguard the country’s food security and accelerate the sector’s recovery from the economic fallout induced by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. With the temporary closure of the tourism sector in March, an unprecedented situation was created in which significant quantities of fresh and perishable local agricultural produce, originally destined for...

The Jamaica 4-H Clubs is inviting young people to register for its family backyard garden challenge. The competition, which started in May, will run over a three-month period and is open to Jamaica 4-H Clubs members, volunteers as well as members of the public aged nine and over. Executive Director of the Jamaica 4-H Clubs, Dr. Ronald Blake, says the...

Over the years, the Jamaica 4-H Clubs has emerged as the leading organisation supporting youth in agriculture through its initiatives. Business and Entrepreneurship Development Manager, Villet Kelly-Bennett, tells JIS News that the organisation has been assisting a number of young people in starting up or expanding their agribusinesses. One channel through this is being facilitated is the Rural Youth Economic...

Farmers in the community of Flagaman, St. Elizabeth, have been on a steady road to recovery after a massive bush fire last year that razed more than 200 acres of farmlands, with $45 million in crops and farming equipment destroyed. The blaze, which occurred in August of 2019, affected 47 farmers, who watched helplessly as their fields burned, with their...