TWENTY-FIVE young farmers from St Mary are set to benefit from improved productivity and enterprise opportunities thanks to a nine-month-long agreement between Sandals Foundation and the St Mary 4-H Clubs Parish Advisory Council.

The climate resilience programme is geared at promoting food security and providing opportunities for economic empowerment for youth in agriculture.

Young men and women between the ages of 18 and 35 will partake in a series of workshops including training in climate-smart farming practices, crop assessment to alleviate growth restrictions and irrigation challenges, farm water source assessment to inform sustainable irrigation opportunities, and the installation of water conservation equipment and supplies.

The programme will also implement an evaluation workshop to assess impact of targeted interventions in strengthening the young farmers’ climate resilience.

Of the 25 young farmers who will all receive support in agriculture and environmental intervention, a select group of six will also receive equipment aimed at strengthening their business practices by assisting in the expansion of their crop throughout anticipated drought conditions this year.

“Growth and output among 4-H Club farmers in St Mary and Portland have been periodically compromised by drought, as, at times, rainfall and water services are not consistent enough to maintain adequate irrigation.

“While some farmers have access to irrigation systems, they may lack the technical knowledge and financial resources to tap into these methods. As Jamaica prepares for hotter and drier times, innovative and sustainable solutions must be sought out to alleviate the effects of water shortages,” said St Catherine 4-H Clubs Parish Secretary Halova Stubbs-Jones.

According to Rene McEachron, farmer and co-owner of Renmac’s Farm, the programme will help to maintain produce volume throughout the year, regardless of the weather conditions.

“Over the last several years, at this time of the year, we usually pause planting or produce less due to extremely hot weather conditions that burn our crops. With this assistance we can now produce the same throughout the dry seasons with the installation of pipes. We will be able to pump water from natural sources straight to our farm, resulting in more efficient production,” said McEachron.

In the meantime, Maxine Harris, consultant project manager for Sandals Foundation, said the initiative forms part of a wider food security effort of the philanthropic organisation to strengthen the capacity of Caribbean islands to grow and consume food sustainably.

“The Sandals Foundation is committed to providing the skills and tools to create sustainable food supply systems in schools and communities across the Caribbean. Our partnership with the Jamaica 4-H Clubs promotes the well-being of youth enterprises and allows us to build the capacity of the next generation of food producers in Jamaica through their empowerment in agriculture,” said Harris.

“The overall goal is to sustainably increase the income of 4-H Farmers in St Mary and surrounding areas through better climate adaptation practices,” Harris added..

Other food security programmes being supported by Sandals Foundation across the Caribbean include the Lend a Hand Food Security Programme that will see the introduction of chicken rearing at LN Coakley High School on Exuma island in The Bahamas; and the Let it Grow school farming programme and the Compost and Grow capacity building programme in the Turks & Caicos Islands.

In Antigua, the philanthropic organisation has also invested in the Gilbert (GARD) Smart Agriculture curriculum, providing equipment, irrigation systems, and training in agriculture and entrepreneurship at the tertiary level.

On March 18, Sandals Foundation commemorated 15 years of empowering Caribbean communities and lives through projects that inspire hope.