It is anticipated that through the Young Farmers Project a total of 500 youth will enter the agriculture sector annually. This project seeks to address the sustainability of the industry with its aging farmers and the threat of food security in Jamaica. The objectives of the programme are: increased production and exports, a reduction in the importation of foreign produce and the bolstering of employment within the Sector. The targets for the programme include the establishment of at least one fully functioning farm every month.
The programme is being executed by the Agricultural Support Service Project (ASSP), which works under the ambit of the Ministry of Agriculture. Through the ASSP, interested youth will receive support in the form of:
- land,
- access to markets,
- links to credit agencies and
- infrastructure (farm roads, office space and fencing).
The applicants, however, will have to provide irrigation and the working capital (chemicals, labour) needed for operation.
Group formation and training is one of the special features of the programme. This will allow ease of service delivery, while ensuring transference of knowledge between youths and experts in the field.
The entrepreneurship programme will commence in December 2008 with 10 farmers cultivating a 50-acre plot in Clarendon.
Interested persons may contact the ASSP for further details.
Hershell Brown
Agricultural Support Service Project (ASSP)
Ministry of Agriculture
Hope Gardens. Kingston 6
927-1731-41
assp@moa.gov.jm |
