IN the wake of its recent collaboration with Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf (CCCD) and Jamaica Deaf Village, Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) said it has been working to ramp up its level of support to persons with disability (PWDs) in the local agricultural sector.

Following the just-concluded Climate Smart Agriculture Greenhouse Production training programme held by CCCD, in which more than 20 students with hearing impairments were equipped and certified with the requisite skills needed to undertake agricultural engagements in their communities, the entity has since intensified its efforts as it moves to empower PWDs.

“The 10-week greenhouse training programme offers a curriculum aimed at providing participants with essential skills and knowledge in greenhouse production. The primary focus of this training initiative was to enhance the knowledge and awareness of deaf farmers and students regarding climate-resilient agricultural practices. Topics covered included crop management, nutrition, integrated pest management, safe pesticide use, and farm business management and other related topics,” said RADA’s Extension Education Specialist Alicia Chambers in sharing details of the programme with the Jamaica Observer.

In another eight-week-long training exercise another batch of students from the St Christopher’s School for the Deaf in Brown’s Town, St Ann, were equipped with knowledge in poultry and layer production and management.

“The training encompassed various topics such as house preparation; brooding management; poultry feed and water management; lighting, temperature, and ventilation management; health and biosecurity protocols for birds; slaughtering and processing techniques; as well as egg handling, grading, storage; and record-keeping practices,” Chambers noted.

She said that in utilising both theoretical information and hands-on demonstrations the participants were able to gain practical skills and insights about how to effectively practise sustainable farming. To ensure efficacy, visuals aids and interpreters were also a critical part of how the lessons were delivered.

The RADA education specialist said the agency, through its established network of parish offices, has over the last few years been able to offer assistance to a wide cross section of the deaf and other parts of the disabled communities as it looks to enhance the skills of these individuals. In partnering with a number of stakeholders the agricultural regulatory body is also now actively engaged in identifying more ways that it can be of assistance to these communities.

Currently in support of initiatives at St Ann Disability Association, RADA, through its work with a group of approximately 60 individuals challenged with a range of disabilities — including blindness, muteness, deafness, physical challenges and mental disabilities — provides extension services to these persons through field visits, training sessions, and inclusion in programmes and projects aimed at enhancing their productivity.

At a number of special education facilities such as Edgehill School in St Ann and West Haven Children’s Home for the Disabled in Hanover the entity currently provides inputs for school garden initiatives, ongoing extension services support to facilitate training activities in food preparation, and the establishment of backyard gardening at these institutions.

“The mandate of the organisation is to enhance the development of farming through an effective, efficient and sustainable extension service — and PWDs are no exception.

“As we expand our reach in various communities our registration database is capturing individuals from the disabled community; as such, we continue to integrate them into diverse projects while customising our training materials to address their needs. In continuing our collaboration with rural sociologists we have been to tailor interventions to their specific needs and preferences, based on the disability. Through continued partnerships with stakeholders to expand production in these communities we aim to highlight the role they can play in addressing our food security concerns,” Chambers said.