New Seed Facility At Bodles Research Station

The region’s capacity to protect crop production has been strengthened following the establishment of a new seed facility at the Bodles Research Station in Old Harbour, St. Catherine.

Funded by the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR), the new seed facility will facilitate storage of seeds in good physical and physiological condition from the time they are harvested until the time they are planted.

Acting Principal Research Director for the Research and Development Division, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Michelle Sherwood, said the new facility will play a major role in climate-resilience efforts.

“It will enable us to store seeds not just for Jamaica but also for the region where if there’s a natural disaster, there’s always somewhere we can bounce back by using the seeds. As a result, these seed facilities are very important,” she told JIS News in an interview.

Seed storage is a seed conservation method where seeds obtained from the harvest are kept under specific conditions until they are planted for successful crop production. The PPCR is a funding mechanism under the Climate Investment Fund (CIF) that helps developing countries integrate climate resilience into development planning and investment.

The Programme receives its funding from the CIF, which in turn is funded by contributions from 14 donor countries, which have contributed more than US$8 billion in support, to date.

Mrs. Sherwood also pointed out that a back-up generator was also provided under the programme.

“Without electricity we can lose the seeds. As a result, a generator was purchased under the PPCR project, but when it came, we needed help to both install and to activate it. This is what the ongoing Redevelopment of Research Centres Project was able to do.

Now we have a proper backup system to be able to protect the seeds that we now have in storage. It will also serve our research activities that are ongoing throughout the weekend and holidays as well as provide an environment where persons can work night and day,” she explained.

The PPCR has a two-phase programmatic approach which assists national governments in integrating climate resilience into development planning across sectors and stakeholder groups.

It also provides additional funding to put these plans into action and to pilot innovative public and private-sector solutions to pressing climate-related risks. PPCR funding is being used to implement 55 projects in 17 countries, including Jamaica, which is receiving funding as a part of the PPCR for the Caribbean region.