FARMERS across Jamaica, especially those in hurricane-ravaged parishes, are now receiving a lifeline as the Seeds of Hope Project prepares seedlings for distribution.

The initiative, led by Wambugu apple ambassador and My Jamaican Food Forest CEO Latoya Panton, aims to help farmers restart their operations after the devastating impacts of Hurricane Melissa. By offering seedlings at no cost the project also supports national efforts to safeguard the island’s food security as replanting accelerates in the storm’s aftermath.

“I started the Seeds of Hope project after spending some time thinking about what I could meaningfully do to help right after the hurricane struck,” Panton told the Jamaica Observer. “Before the storm, I had been blessed with an abundance of seeds but didn’t have the land space to grow them. The first set of seedlings is now ready, and as of this week I’ve started sending them out to farmers who have already made contact. I encourage anyone else who is interested to reach out.”

Currently in dialogue with farmers in Trelawny, St Elizabeth, Manchester and St Thomas, Panton is inviting others in need of seedlings to message her directly or via the My Jamaican Food Forest social media pages.

“I know I won’t be able to help everyone but I’m willing to help whoever I can. Farmers across the island have been contacting me to get seedlings, and this has been a motivating force for me to keep sowing as there is a true demand. So far we have sown about 30,000 seeds with the help of friends including Pamela McLaughlin of Potscapes and also from some members of my Young Chefs Cooking club who have volunteered to help,” she said.

Seedlings available through the project include pak choi, cabbage, tomato, sweet pepper, onion, okra, callaloo, kale, cucumber and Scotch bonnet pepper. Although supplies of some varieties are limited, Panton said replanting continues with the aim of maintaining a steady supply until the agriculture sector stabilises. Alongside supporting national replanting efforts she hopes to provide seedlings to farmers and backyard gardeners alike so as to restore food production to peak levels.

“For backyard gardeners, we ask for a small contribution to the project. In return, we provide an assortment of seedlings — our Trays of Hope — to empower them to play their part in rebuilding the food production chain.

“I’m very passionate about this project and very excited that, after much effort, the seeds of hope are finally being moved from the My Jamaica Food Forest out unto the fertile farms in Jamaica — and I implore more farmers to reach out for seedlings as we grow together,” Panton said while noting that it is her intention to continue the project even after the hurricane’s impacts have subsided.

“My aim is to get as many Jamaican households planting and growing as much as they can, even in their backyards. By helping farmers now, I’m happy that I can support them with seedlings while keeping the mission of feeding Jamaicans alive. My dream is to see people fall in love with growing what they eat and eating what they grow while developing an appreciation for nature and the wealth in our local soil,” the farming and food enthusiast said.

The local agriculture sector, reeling from the impacts of Hurricane Melissa which rattled mainly the western parts of the island in late October, suffered tremendous fallouts as both plant and animal production have become severely affected.

“There was significant damage to farm lands, fishing equipment, access roads, residential infrastructure, transportation equipment as well as the loss of livestock, among other things,” the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) said in a report following technical assessments.

The latest out-turns from the sector turn back a near-24-per cent growth seen during the previous July to September quarter, at which time higher production was recorded across most major crop groups supported by increased animal farming.

Following a number of expert assessments, damages to the sector have been estimated at over $50 billion. The seven hardest-hit parishes — including St Elizabeth, the island’s “breadbasket”— account for roughly 74 per cent of land dedicated to domestic crop production, as well as a substantial share of livestock and export crops.

With the Category 5 storm placing considerable downward pressure on multiple industries in the final quarter of the year, the economy is projected to contract by 11–13 per cent — the sharpest decline since the COVID-19 pandemic. A full recovery for the Jamaican economy is conservatively estimated to take two to five years.

“The extent of the damage from Hurricane Melissa is unprecedented and far-reaching, affecting all industries. This is expected to result in increased unemployment, weakened demand and output,” the PIOJ also said in its assessment as it noted agriculture among the top industries expected to fuel last-quarter downturns based on the damage sustained.

Farmer and conceptuliser of the Seeds of Hope Project Latoya Panton presents a number of tomato seedlings to a St Thomas farmer, recently.

Seedlings sowed for distribution to farmers islandwide are housed inside a greenhouse on Panton’s property.