IN response to the damage caused by Hurricane Beryl to farmers across Jamaica, United Way of Jamaica (UWJ) on Friday launched a Farmer’s Rehabilitation Fund (FRF) with the aim of raising up to $20 million to provide immediate and long-term support to affected farming communities.

Board chairman at UWJ, Dr Devon Smith, while speaking during the launch held at the offices of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, said the entity is aiming to mobilise resources and provide financial support to affected farmers, specifically in the parishes of Clarendon, St Elizabeth, and Manchester who were more severely impacted by Beryl.

“The Farmer’s Rehabilitation Fund will facilitate access to critical resources including seeds, equipment, and financial aid to help farmers restore their livelihood. This recovery is not about rebuilding what has been lost, but it is about to strengthen the infrastructure [and] strengthen the capacity so that we can withstand the future challenges,” said Smith.

In an attempt to attract funding from local and international investors, Smith said the United Way Worldwide on Monday launched a micro site to raise funds for Hurricane Beryl victims right across the region, with a section dedicated for people to contribute directly to Jamaica.

He added that the UWJ will engage in a number of site visits between July 16 and 25 and is aiming to start the distribution of tools and financial resources to farmers by as early as July 30.

“What I am indicating here is that we have an aggressive timeline and it is therefore important that everyone comes on board to ensure that they can support this timeline.

“Each passing day that we are not able to respond is each passing day that we are making it more difficult for the citizens of this country,” said Smith as he urged private and public organisations to collaborate with the UWJ to strengthen its effort to provide effective assistance for local farmers through the FRF initiative.“We know the overall devastation that Hurricane Beryl has had on the agriculture sector, leading to crop and infrastructure damage, life stock losses, soil erosion, and economic challenges for our farmers. As a country we must be able to rally round to support our farmers, our brothers and sisters, those citizens who ensure we have access to food in our families and communities,” he explained.

When asked about the process farmers will have to take to benefit from this programme, senior strategist at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining Michael Pryce explained that representatives of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) and the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) have started to do registration in the communities and are assessing the damage. Pryce noted that all farmers affected will be able to benefit from the initiative.

“We are not going to be restricting it to only registered farmers, everybody suffered damage, and we will be there…that’s a policy-level decision that I am making here, but I don’t think as a ministry we would ever decide that we are only doing registered farmers,” he said.

Pryce used the opportunity to encourage all agencies to join the initiative as they aim to help farmers replace other damages.

“I have been out there since Tuesday and farmers are there, and yes, they want to get back to their farming, but there is no roof and that is also of importance to them. I felt helpless, because as the Ministry of Agriculture we cannot say anything about rebuilding houses, but we have to partner with all agencies within Government to ensure the well-being of the farming population and their relatives is taken care of,” said Pryce.

Chairperson at Seprod and Musson Foundations, Melanie Subratie, while describing the importance of farmers to food distributors across Jamaica, announced a commitment to donating $2 million to the rehabilitation fund.

“We believe our contribution along with the efforts of United Way of Jamaica…and other partners here today will make a significant difference in the lives of those affected and also the lives of everyone else who is dependent on agriculture all the way down the supply chain in Jamaica,” said Subratie.

United Way of Jamaica is part of a global network mandated to mobilising resources for the vulnerable and marginalised groups in the society, including education, health, and income-generating activities.