Rural Agriculture, Tourism Enterprises Receive COVID-19 Resilient Supplies Under JSIF REDI II

Several agriculture and tourism enterprises in the parishes of St. Ann and Trelawny have benefited from a donation of coronavirus (COVID-19) resilient supplies by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF).

At a handover ceremony held at Grizzly’s Plantation Cove at the Richmond Estate in St. Ann on Thursday (January 28), the small rural enterprises were presented with face masks, face shields, hand sanitisers and other personal protective equipment (PPE).

The items were provided under the COVID-19 Resilience and Capacity Building sub-project of the Rural Economic Development Initiative, Phase II (REDI II), which is being implemented by JSIF.

JSIF, through funding from the World Bank, is investing $52.4 million to support small community enterprises across the country, under the sub-project.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Floyd Green, said that in addition to creating economic opportunities in the agricultural and tourism sectors, the project is also combatting some of the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said that farmers have had to face the “harsh reality” of the disruptions in their markets, one of which is the tourism sector, which has experienced a downturn due to the pandemic.

“However, [this programme] was implemented by JSIF to ensure that the rural economy does not suffer tremendously from the fallout,” he noted.

“This programme underscores that the Government of Jamaica is serious about providing for our rural entrepreneurs. That is what our farmers are and we are working with them to ensure that they can maintain their production numbers, sustain their farms and partake in climate-smart agriculture and strengthen the linkages between agriculture and tourism,” he added.

For his part, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, said that REDI II is strengthening the capacity of small enterprises in the sector to not only respond to the disruptions caused by COVID-19 but to also “manage, recover and thrive”.

“That is the essence of what is going to make Jamaica stand out in the end. Building resilience is not just about being able to bounce back, because you can bounce back and still don’t grow…. but to also thrive. That is what the capacity-building programme that we are having now is all about,” he said.

Managing Director of JSIF, Omar Sweeney, for his part, informed that the COVID-19 Resilience and Capacity Building sub-project will directly benefit 1,660 beneficiaries, including farming groups and community tourism enterprises.

It will provide indirect benefits to another 18,000 persons who interact with these enterprises.

Mr. Sweeney said that under the project, 60 COVID-19 safety point persons will be trained – 30 in tourism and 30 in agriculture – to build the capacity of persons in maintaining the protocols.

“We will also train 150 community tourism stakeholders and 1,200 farmers in the area of COVID-19 health and safety protocols, 200 Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) extension officers, and 50 TPDCo training officers through the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) and the Ministry of Tourism. So this investment is comprehensive,” he added.