As the cries of praedial larceny get louder from farmers, agriculture technology company Jons Tech Solutions is introducing a new innovation which it says can be used to curtail the illicit act. Janoy Fairclough, founder of Jons Tech Solutions, says his company offers a camera system which gives farmers the security they need.

“We know that farmers want to see what’s happening on their farm, however, most of the current camera systems require you to carry power from wherever the source is. If your farm is in the hills or in the bushes it’s gonna be very expensive moving electricity,” said Fairclough.

He explained that Internet connectivity on the farm is also another issue which farmers complain about. But he highlighted that the new technology solves those problems.

The camera being offered by Jons Tech is powered by solar energy. It also comes with a battery of 6,400 milliamps which is more battery power than a cellphone which usually lasts for two days.

He said, “it’s rechargeable, and has the ability to transfer information without using Wi-Fi. So the same way in which your cellphone works where you add a data plan and you’re able to transfer data and stream videos, that’s the technology that this camera system is using. It works on both 3G and 4G and has infrared so you can see what’s happening on the farm in the night.”

But he admitted that it doesn’t come cheap, especially with the extra charges being imposed on the items at Customs.

“Some people may compare and say the price seems a little bit steep, but we are trying because Customs is not easing up on the charges. If we can get the Ministry of Agriculture to help us on-board these products and reduce some of the cost to bring these products into the island that would be great,” he continued.

He told the Business Observer that one of the cameras with all the features typically costs about US$480. He said there are other models with less features which can go for as low as US$200. But he noted that farmers are given the option to pay for the camera incrementally through a special payment plan devised specifically to ease the financial burden.

“This is waterproof so you don’t have to worry about covering up the camera or anything like that. It comes with a 355 rotation degree angle horizontally and with motion detection. It has also been tested in up to 60 degrees Celsius heat, so we know it will operate well in Jamaica. There’s also cloud capabilities so no one can tamper with it and try to remove what is captured,”

The entrepreneur explained that he is still in the process of sensitising some farmers about the benefits of having this kind of technology on their farms. He noted that some of the farmers do not use smartphones so his team is faced with the responsibility of educating the farmers about the technology and how it works.

Between 2019 to 2020 the number of praedial larceny arrests moved from 69 to over 100. The Government also has plans to reintroduce agricultural wardens to operate in highly productive areas. The agricultural wardens will have the same powers as a district constable and will have a more targeted mandate regarding agricultural crimes. The Government is also creating harsher penalties for criminals who prey on farmers produce and lifestock.