JAMAICA is stepping up its adoption of electronic or e-farming practices as the country accelerates the use of digital technologies to modernise the local agriculture sector, improve productivity, strengthen climate resilience, and expand market opportunities for farmers.

At the forefront of this transformation is the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) which has been coordinating the roll-,out of digital platforms, smart technologies and data-driven systems aimed at helping farmers to make better production decisions.

“Jamaica’s agricultural sector is undergoing a steady transformation from traditional practices toward data-driven, climate-smart agriculture. Adoption is moving from initial pilot stages into a national, structured roll-out aimed at boosting yield, efficiency, market access, and food security,” RADA’s Director of Public Relations &and Communication Candice Constantine told the Jamaica Observer.

CONSTANTINE…Jamaica’s agricultural sector is undergoing a steady transformation from traditional practices toward data-driven, climate-smart agriculture

According to Constantine, much of the authority’s current progress is being driven by the modernisation of its Agricultural Business Information System (ABIS), supported by digital platforms that place government services and technical support directly into the hands of farmers.

Following the roll-out of the RADA mobile app, she said registered farmers can now access their farm profiles, upload production updates, check the status of their farmer identification cards, and receive technical guidance directly from their smartphones.

On the marketing side, the Agri-Linkages Exchange (ALEX) platform is digitising agricultural commerce by linking producers with hotels, restaurants, agro-processors and exporters. The portal, which now supports more than 2,000 registered farmers, was developed as the country’s first agricultural e-commerce platform connecting small farmers directly with large-scale buyers. It is jointly managed by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) and RADA.

“With the respective roll-outs, RADA has been actively bridging the digital divide by onboarding small farmers onto these platforms, right in their fields,” Constantine said while noting that, aside from the use of digital platforms, the country is also expanding the use of precision agriculture technologies.

The director said that over the last few years drone technology has been used for land-use mapping, crop health monitoring, inspections of difficult-to-access terrain, rapid post-disaster damage assessments, and targeted disease management operations. Hand-held digital sensors and moisture meters are being integrated to help farmers assess soil pH, nutrient levels, and water content — allowing for better fertiliser application and irrigation management.

Additionally, farmers are also receiving weather alerts, production advisories, and technical guidance through SMS (text) services and structured WhatsApp groups, while the National Agricultural Monitoring and Management System (NAMMS) is strengthening agricultural data collection and analysis to support planning and policy development.

“The primary users of these digital services include small- and medium-scale commercial producers, youth farmers, agro-park operators, hotel and restaurant buyers, as well as RADA extension officers and agro-brokers,” Constantine said.

She pointed to the expansion of RADA Connect, under which multidisciplinary teams visit farming communities to help producers download and use the RADA mobile app, update their ABIS records, and receive hands-on technical support.

The digitisation mission is also complemented by farmer field schools, digital literacy workshops and practical demonstrations using drones and smart sensors to encourage wider tech adoption among small farmers.

As climate change increases the frequency of droughts, floods and severe storms, Constantine further said that digital technologies are becoming an essential part of the island’s climate-smart agriculture strategy.

“There is a coordinated push to align technology deployment with national climate-smart agriculture goals,” she said.

Among the initiatives are real-time weather alerts delivered through mobile platforms, allowing extension officers to warn farmers of approaching droughts, heavy rainfall, and pest threats before they cause significant damage. Drone surveillance is also enabling rapid post-disaster assessments, allowing RADA to verify crop losses more quickly and support faster relief distribution and recovery planning following hurricanes and other extreme weather events.

As the State entity established to drive national food security and support the local farming community, RADA, outlining some of the plans for growth concerning digital farming, said that in looking ahead it will seek to intensify the roll-out of its digital platforms across all 13 agricultural parishes while increasing farmer participation in both the
RADA mobile app and the ALEX platform. The entity also intends to expand RADA Connect into more remote farming communities.

“With our expanded drone fleet capabilities, enhancing the drone unit with analytical software will also help us with early crop-stress detection,” Constantine noted.

“Partnering with youth networks to make digital record-keeping, e-commerce, and precision farming standard parts of the Jamaican farmer’s enterprise will also be a key priority for RADA,” she added.

RADA, in coordinating the roll-out of digital platforms, smart technologies, and data-driven systems, said it aims to help farmers make better production decisions.