The Jamaica Bauxite Mining (JBM) Limited is celebrating 50 years of existence by bringing into sharp focus the contributions of an entity that has transcended its mineral-rich mining history. In 1869, J.G. Sawkins, a British geologist, made the earliest report of alumina-bearing soils in Jamaica. But it was not until almost 80 years after, that bauxite’s potential was realised. Managing...

The newly opened tissue culture laboratory at the Portland-based College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE) is deemed by Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, to be a significant step towards ensuring Jamaica’s food security. Speaking during the facility’s official opening on January 24, Mr. Green said the lab “is a significant leap in our relation to...

More Jamaicans are now getting involved in backyard gardening as a means of bolstering their own food security. Backyard gardening does not require a lot of space, and persons can save money by having a steady supply of fresh fruits and vegetables without relying on outside sources For one backyard farmer, Donald Lewis, the decision to cultivate his space was...

Farm worker Victor Lettman has been on the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Programme (SAWP) 24 times. On Friday (January 3), he departed Jamaica for his 25th trip to Canada, a country that has provided for his family’s needs for more than two decades. “I couldn’t get any job. I had my young kids and couldn’t find anything fi give them, so...

Olando Clayton, who hails from Stony Hill in St. Andrew, embarked on his first-ever flight last Friday (January 3). He was among the 12 first-time farm workers who departed Jamaica for Canada under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Programme (SAWP) for the 2025 season. “Mi kinda nervous, but mi happy,” he told JIS News in an interview before his departure from...

St. Elizabeth farmer Dionne Blake could not hide her joy as she walked on the newly paved segment of farm road in her community of Cornwall Top. “I can get up in the morning now put on my fancy slippers and my feet don’t get dirty. Before, I would have had to be dodging potholes and stones, and jumping all...

At the Winston Jones High School in Prattville, Manchester, students are learning about agriculture and farming alongside the academic subjects. It is a deliberate strategy aimed at enabling students to develop an appreciation of the importance of agriculture in enhancing food security, preparing them for external assessments, while equipping them with the knowledge and skills for higher education or to...

The Government of Jamaica is expending billions of dollars on initiatives to strengthen capacity in the key growth sectors of agriculture and tourism, which together account for an estimated 18 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP). The development falls under the second phase of the five-year Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI), which is being implemented by the Jamaica Social...

The Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) has provided helpful post-Hurricane Beryl tips for livestock farmers. These include conducting assessments of their homes, farms and animals in the aftermath of a hurricane, according to RADA Livestock Specialist, Maxine Brown. Speaking during the recent Denbigh Agricultural, Industrial and Food Show in Clarendon, Ms. Brown said farmers should start with a visual assessment...