Jamaica: Multi-million dollar agriculture programmes to be implemented in September
– Advertisement –
KINGSTON, Jamaica, May 31, CMC -The Jamaica government says the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)-backed US$50 million agriculture recovery and resilience programme is scheduled to be fully implemented in September, benefiting farmers and fishers affected by the passage of Hurricane Melissa last October.
The initiative, ‘ADAPT Jamaica: Enhancing Climate Change Resilience of Vulnerable Smallholders in Central Jamaica’, was announced by the Andrew Holness government in April.
It is funded through the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and is designed to protect vulnerable smallholders from extreme weather and will directly aid farmers in storm-hit parishes.
Junior Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining Minister, Franklin Witter, said that the funds will go towards initiatives to build the sector’s long-term resilience following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa when it hit the island on October 28 last year causing damage estimated at more than nine billion US dollars.
He said the funding will support recovery efforts through technical assistance, improved access to farm inputs, financing support, irrigation systems and modern climate-resilient technologies.
Witter said that the support will spread across every area of the agricultural sector, hailing the 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.
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 said 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.
But 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.
– Advertisement –