Kitson Town Residents To Benefit From Resilient Agri-food Systems Project

The Improving Rural Livelihoods through Resilient (IRL) Agri-food Systems project is working to impact the lives of 200 beneficiaries, in the community of Kitson Town, St. Catherine.

The Project, valued at US$1million, aims to drive community development and empower small farmers to explore the commercial side of farming.

The initiative is funded under a South- South Cooperation Initiative by the Government of the Republic of India – India United Nations Development Partnership Fund.

It is being implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO,) in collaboration with the Government of Jamaica, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining.

International Consultant and Project Manager for the IRL Project, Dr. Inessa Salomão said the project began in May 2023 and will run until October 2025.

“There is a strong component on developing entrepreneurial skills for economic growth that is going to be supported first from several of our stakeholders. So, the project is very much based on community engagement and on creating lasting impact in the community,” she told JIS News.

A key stakeholder workshop was held in February with 35 participants, to coordinate institutional support from groups providing technical expertise in agriculture and business development.

Dr. Salomão said the project team also visited Kitson Town to assess the site for a new drying and packaging facility.

The facility will enhance value-added processing for increased competitiveness and improve storage and market access for local farmers.

“What we are doing now is securing some partnerships through Letters of Agreements signed with the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC), Agro-Investment Corporation (AIC), Spring Village Foundation and Junior Achievement Jamaica, to support training and mentorship, as well as to provide a drying and packaging facility at the community. Hopefully we are going to do several trainings during the next four months,” she said.

Under the agreement with the JBDC, the Corporation will provide training for youth, farmer leaders and government officers in entrepreneurial skills and knowledge, business incubation support for youth, as well as guidance for the improvement and certification of the drying and packaging facility.

The AIC agreed to provide training to beneficiaries in good agricultural practices and skills development, as well as in business and entrepreneurial skills development.

Meanwhile, Spring Village will provide hands-on training and skills development, and support for small livestock systems to include poultry (layers and broilers), goat rearing, pig rearing, and beekeeping, benefiting youth, government officers and farmer leaders.

Dr. Salomão informed that a venue has been identified in the community and work will be done to renovate the space.

“We are receiving the support from JBDC to develop the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and to train the people to use the facility. We want to impact the community. Some persons who produce seasonings and other items, will be invited to use that facility and add a next step, a next linkage in their value chain with this kind of production,”

“What we found in Kitson Town is that many persons are not looking to commercialize. They are not marketing, and they are only producing for subsistence. We want our beneficiaries to understand how they can better use their produce to create wealth and to have some streams of income,” she said.

In addition to capacity building, the project will provide infrastructure support for small livestock systems, greenhouses, hydroponics and irrigation.