CHIEF government planner Peter Knight expressed disappointment Monday that only one political representative attended an intensive workshop in preparation for a project designed to, among other things, teach small farmers how to farm without causing damage to rivers and forests.

The project — called the Integrated Management of the Yallahs and Hope River Watershed Management Areas — is a collaboration by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), which Knight heads.

Prior to the start of the launch ceremony at the Terra Nova All-Suite hotel, Knight made several phone calls and was heard asking those on the other end of the line if they would be attending the session. He addressed one of the persons “Your Worship”, indicating that it was a mayor.

NEPA, which is the agency executing the project, told the Jamaica Observer that it invited 13 political representatives from the areas in question — nine councillors, two mayors (Kingston and Morant Bay), and two members of Parliament (Damion Crawford of St Andrew East Rural and Andre Hylton of St Andrew Eastern). But only Karl Little, councillor of the Mona Division, was present up to the time the Observer left at the start of the workshop that followed.

NEPA said later that a representative for Crawford and two councillors showed up near the end of the workshop.

“I am very disappointed because the project is going to entail working with communities in the wide geographical area and you need the political push and the political support that already has the organisation on the ground and that can help to mobilise and sensitise persons,” Knight told the newspaper.

“We made a strenuous effort to bring out the MPs and the councillors to this sensitisation/inception workshop because we know the kind of influence the political organisation has on the ground,” he continued.

The watershed project is being financed by a grant of US$3.9 million from the IDB and GEF, and US$8.9 million from the Government of Jamaica. Its broad objective over its five-year life is to improve the conservation and management of biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem services in the Yallahs and Hope river watersheds.

Among its specific outcomes are: reducing the rate of deforestation while increasing the amount of land reforested to 400 hectares; reducing turbidity in the Hope and Yallahs rivers, establishing a carbon stocks monitoring system, and increasing the amount of carbon sequestered to 187,495 mg; developing a valuation of the ecosystem services provided by the two watersheds; drafting watershed policy; and training small farmers in various techniques including in animal husbandry, guest house and ecolodge operation, and fire management.

The implementing partners of the project are Forestry Department, Rural Agriculture Development Authority, Water Resources Authority and National Water Commission.

– Kimone Thompson