KINGSTON, Jamaica — JSIF-REDI II, the major sponsor of the three-day Jamaica Agri-Business Investment Forum held recently in Montego Bay, St James has helped to create enduring linkages in both the agriculture and community-based tourism sectors.

The Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) through its second Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI II) project, which is funded to the value of US $40 million through a loan agreement between the Government of Jamaica and the World Bank, is aimed at enhancing access to markets and climate resilient initiatives for targeted beneficiaries in both agriculture and community-based tourism sectors.

The sponsorship of the Jamaica Agri-Business Investment Forum (JAIF 2025) is among several sub-projects undertaken under the REDI II project.

According to Orville Hill, general manager for finance, procurement and standards, the JSIF is pleased to be the major sponsor of this inaugural event which is seen as a powerful vehicle to reach and engage hundreds of stakeholders in the agriculture and community-based segments.

“As a major sponsor, we aim to support the creation of an enabling environment where enterprises can gain exposure, explore opportunities and make connections to improve their competitiveness in the marketplace,” Hill said.

He noted that despite the unforeseen circumstances relating to Hurricane Beryl and the COVID-19 pandemic, the REDI II Project has been successful and has impacted the lives of hundreds of beneficiaries. Consequently, the REDI II Project which was rolled out initially in 2020 has now been extended to conclude in May, 2027.

Beneficiaries have expressed their appreciation for the funding support received under the REDI project.

Among them is the Ujima Natural Farmers Market in St Thomas. Beneficiary, Nicola Shirley Phillips credited the project with helping the 40-member group to distribute organic produce islandwide.

“Without the REDI project and the help of JSIF and all the staff, we would not be able to do the distribution work that we needed to do,” she said.

Another beneficiary, Keisha Vassell, a member of the Content Greenhouse Cluster in Williamsfield, Manchester, shared that after Hurricane Beryl destroyed their sweet pepper crop, they received assistance from the programme to get back on track.

Meanwhile, Kilara Suit, the World Bank’s senior agriculture specialist, said the programme has already launched a number of sub-projects, trained thousands of participants, primarily women and youth, in addition to creating hundreds of jobs. Suit said REDI II’s mix of capacity-building, technical assistance and investment “demonstrates the power of multi-sector collaboration to drive inclusive growth,” while pledging continued World Bank support to link agriculture and tourism, spur innovation and expand opportunities for women and young people.

The three-day JAIF 2025 staged under the theme ‘Sustainable Agri-Business: Global Reach, Local Impact, drew approximately 500 participants from varied sectors.

Chairman of the Forum and Chief Executive Director of the Agro- Investment Corporation, Vivion Scully, hailed the event a success, pointing to the launch of a “Deal Book” featuring 10 ready-to-go investment opportunities that have already sparked discussions expected to yield projects for the future which could be worth several billion dollars.

“This is the inaugural Jamaica Agri-Business Investment Forum, and we’ve already heard the minister [of agriculture] committing to host the second forum in 2027. Scully also extended high praises to JSIF as the major sponsor.

“The feedback over the last two-and-a-half days has been extremely positive… we’re going to do it again,” he said.

The Jamaica Agri-Business Investment Forum was hosted by the Agro-Investment Corporation an Agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining with major sponsorship support to the value of US$100 million from the JSIF REDI II Project.