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...

The more than 2,000 residents of Grierfield in St. Ann can now travel to and from their community in greater comfort and safety thanks to the rehabilitation of 3.9 kilometres of roadway in the area. The road was repaired at a cost of approximately $69 million through funding under the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). Implemented by the Jamaica Social Investment...

Farmers in Bull Savannah and Southfield, St. Elizabeth, are reaping the benefits of a Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) investment in irrigation and farm training methodologies. The project, valued at $69 million, was executed by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), and provided irrigation systems to two groups of approximately 300 farmers. The training component, jointly coordinated by JSIF and the...

When the Rural Agricultural Development Authority’s (RADA) Principal Director of Technical Services, Marina Young, commenced her tertiary education at Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy (now Russian State Agrarian University), little did she know she was destined to spend nearly all of her professional career on a small island, thousands of miles away, named Jamaica. However, after meeting her Jamaican husband while...

In 1965, then 18-year old St. Thomas native, Augustus Morgan, left Jamaica for the United States to participate in the overseas agricultural (farm work) programme. Fifty-five years later, not only is Mr. Morgan still with the programme, but at 73 years-old, he is one of the oldest members, and tells JIS News that he is “fit and ready to go...

The St. Elizabeth Homecoming Foundation has honoured fruit and vegetable farmer Desmond Whitely, for 42 continuous years in the industry. The 54-year-old son of the parish was presented with the ‘Best of St. Bess Golden Award’ at the Foundation’s Homecoming Week 2019 Awards Brunch held recently at Lover’s Leap, where he was showered with accolades for his contribution to the...