US$50 Million Agriculture And Resilience Programme Rolls Out September

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)-backed US$50 million agriculture recovery and resilience programme is scheduled to move into full implementation in September, benefiting farmers and fishers affected by Hurricane Melissa.

The initiative, ‘ADAPT Jamaica: Enhancing Climate Change Resilience of Vulnerable Smallholders in Central Jamaica’, was announced by the Government in April. Funded through the Green Climate Fund, it is designed to protect vulnerable smallholders from extreme weather and will directly aid farmers in storm-hit parishes.

State Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Franklin Witter, who recently took an FAO delegation on a tour of farms in St. Elizabeth, told journalists that the funds will go towards initiatives to build the sector’s long-term resilience following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa last October.

The funding will support recovery efforts through technical assistance, improved access to farm inputs, financing support, irrigation systems and modern climate-resilient technologies.

Mr. Witter said that the support will spread across every area of the agricultural sector.

He hailed FAO as “one of our leading partners in terms of agriculture in Jamaica. So, the FAO is here with us to give us their support as we seek to build resilience amongst the farmers, not only in St. Elizabeth but right across Jamaica.”

FAO Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean, René Orellana Halkyer, said the organisation moved quickly after the storm to support Jamaica and the wider Caribbean.

“This is a package that will be managed and guided and led by the Government. So, this is going to contemplate different areas and cover different thematics and other issues that are going to be informed by the Government; whatever is appropriate,” he said.

Mr Halkyer said that the farm tour is also to learn resilience best practices from local farmers, who are implementing sustainable measures.

The tour took the delegation to Bromley’s Egg Farm in Holland Bamboo, Junior Ebanks’ farm in Ridge Pen, and the Calabash Bay Fishing Community in Treasure Beach.

Mr. Ebanks told JIS News that hurricanes Beryl and Melissa caused millions of dollars of damage and loss to his greenhouses, outdoor crops and irrigation systems.

He said he is looking forward to the roll out of the initiatives under the FAO programme to benefit farmers.

Chairman of the Jamaica Fishermen’s Co-operative Union and President of the Treasure Beach Fisherfolk, Shawn Taylor, noted that fishing communities in the area are still feeling the effects of Hurricane Melissa.

He pointed out that the gear shed and fishermen’s co-op facility at Calabash Bay were destroyed, resulting in the loss of engines, nets, fuel and other equipment.

Mr. Taylor said he is hopeful that the support from the FAO would help to rebuild the facility and provide relief for fishers still struggling to return to sea.