THE Jamaica Organic Agricultural Movement (JOAM) is forging ahead with plans to expand organic agriculture in the island, assisted by $20 million in financing from the Ministry of Agriculture for a development project.

Following the recent launch of its western group, JOAM last Thursday inaugurated its second branch, the northeast regional group, comprising the parishes of Portland, St Mary and St Ann. A southeastern and a south central group are to be launched at a later date.

Chairman of the group Dr Dwight Robinson said the movement was a non-governmental, non-profit organisation made up totally of volunteers who were working towards the development of an organic sector in Jamaica.

One of its first objectives is to certify organic farmers, he said.

“Apart from launching this group and getting this region of the island active, we hope more people will go towards organic certification and we’re really going to push and promote that,” said Robinson.

Basically, organic food is produced without the use of artificial fertilisers and pesticides. But according to Dr Robinson, it goes beyond that.

He defines it as “the production of foods and fibres in a manner that emphasizes ecological balance, economic sustainability and human and environmental health.”

And even though food produced organically is said to be healthier than that produced by conventional methods, the idea is not catching on fast enough as far as JOAM is concerned.

In 2003 there were two organic farms in the island.

“It’s not catching on as fast as we would love it to be. When we started, we thought we could say in 10 years (that) five per cent of Jamaica’s agriculture would be organic, but that’s something we may have to revise,” Robinson said.

It is this slow growth that prompted the agriculture ministry to invest in developing the sector.

A committee comprising members of JOAM and representatives of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), among other persons, is being established to oversee the project.

Joseph Lindsay, principal research director in the ministry, and himself a former chair and co-founder of JOAM, said the ministry hopes to assist the association with research as well as planting material.

“We hope to help also in the sensitisation, and probably in terms of the standards and certification projects, but these will be done in collaboration with the organic movement, when we’ve had the time to discuss and determine the priorities,” said Lindsay.

Lindsay believes that a vibrant organic agriculture sector would enable farmers to take advantage of export opportunities to Europe, replacing some crops that are no longer competitive.

The development programme will also help rehabilitate some farms with crops such as cocoa.

Alfred Whittaker, owner of Glenleigh property, which is one of only seven farms worldwide that are certified as organic, said his company, marketing under the Glenleigh brand, would diversify its product range from coconut, noni and aloe vera.

The eight-acre property was originally a coconut farm on which noni and aloe vera have been inter-cropped. The farm now produces coconut oil, noni juice, noni soap, noni lotion, aloe vera gel and aloe vera soap for the local and export markets and intends to add other products to their processing line, such as shampoo and lotion.

Whittaker said his company would attempt to develop Jamaican herbs that have not been recognised locally even though they are known internationally as being very potent.

The company also has plans to develop an eco-farm facility as a tourist attraction.

– gilchristc@jamaicaobserver.com