JAMAICA is accelerating efforts to modernise farming and agro-processing through digital technology and climate-resilient initiatives as the country rebuilds parts of its agricultural sector following Hurricane Melissa.

The Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) says it has been assisting affected companies by sourcing materials and encouraging greener rebuilding practices, particularly within the agro-industrial sector. As part of the recovery effort, the agency recently signed an agreement with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to help affected businesses rebuild more sustainably and resiliently.

“We just signed an agreement with UNIDO to help businesses that were affected in the agro-industrial sector, to help them again to build back more sustainably, more resiliently and stronger,” Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Harold Davis said during the JBDC’s Get the Facts YouTube channel.

While acknowledging that “now is always a good time to start a business”, Davis stressed that future growth in agriculture must be driven by technology and digitisation rather than traditional methods.

“Get into farming; get into agro-processing,” he said. “But get into it not [with] hoe and fork; get into it with technology-driven farming. Agro-tech is where it’s at.”

He noted that more young people are entering the agricultural sector but argued that greater emphasis must now be placed on agri-tech opportunities. The JBDC is also helping aspiring farmers to access funding and other support systems needed to get started. That push aligns with measures outlined in the Government’s Youth in Agriculture Policy which is to be tabled during the second quarter of the current financial year. The policy proposes expanding technical and entrepreneurial training; creating structured pathways to land access and financing; promoting youth-led, climate-smart agriculture; improving access to insurance and risk management tools; and institutionalising youth participation in agricultural decision-making and policy development. The sector is already seeing growing youth participation, with Agriculture Minister Floyd Green revealing during his sectoral debate presentation last Wednesday that approximately 38,000 youth have been engaged through the Jamaica 4-H Clubs. Green also highlighted measures aimed at increasing youth access to agricultural lands, noting that the ministry had implemented a policy requiring at least 25 per cent of lands within agro-parks to be allocated to young people. Last year, 200 acres were leased to youth, representing 34 per cent of agro-park lands allocated.

“One in every five registrations is a youth farmer, adding nearly 4,000 new youth farmers to our agriculture database,” Green revealed.

Green also outlined several digital initiatives aimed at improving agricultural planning, forecasting and decision-making across the sector. Among them is an update within the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) app which now allows farmers to apply directly for benefits while enabling the Government to track whether support has already been received. The ministry has also completed phase one of a digital platform — The National Agricultural Monitoring and Management System — designed to centralise crop production data, providing real-time visibility into what crops are being planted, where they are located, and how they are progressing.

“This is a predictive, AI-driven tool that will allow us to do better forecasting of supply,” Green said.

He said the platform will allow farmers to see how much of a crop is already being cultivated across their communities, parishes and the wider country before planting, helping them make more informed production decisions. The Government is also preparing to launch a national agribusiness logistics map designed to provide real-time market and pricing data for consumers and distributors. Additionally, a new digital tool is being introduced for members of Parliament to provide constituency-level farm data with real time visibility into agricultural activity. Officials said the broader push towards digital agriculture and climate-smart farming is intended to help Jamaica build a more resilient and data-driven agricultural sector following the disruption caused by Hurricane Melissa.

Agriculture Minister Floyd Green reveals during his sectoral debate presentation on Wednesday a new digital platform designed to centralise crop production data.