THE Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) has intensified its drought mitigation programme for farmers in response to the prolonged dry spell the island is experiencing.

Garnet Edmondson, acting chief executive officer of RADA, says the agency has accepted the challenges and is transforming the way extension services are delivered across Jamaica.

According to Edmondson, the implementation of a National Agriculture Monitoring and Management System, an enhancement to the RADA mobile app, and improvements to the farmer identification system are some of the methods being used to ensure the farmers are benefiting.

Allison Brown hugs the College of Agriculture, Science and Education’s champion senior nubian buck during the final day of the 72nd staging of the Denbigh Agricultural, Industrial and Food Show (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

“These digital platforms are improving data collection, strengthening planning, and enabling faster and more improved decision-making to better serve farmers across Jamaica. We also recognise that productivity depends not only on knowledge, but access. Over the past year, RADA invested $800 million in rehabilitating farm roads right across the length and breadth of key agricultural districts,” said Edmondson.

He added that these investments are aimed at improving connectivity, reducing transportation costs, and ensuring that farmers can move their produce more efficiently from field to market.

“As we continue to strengthen rural infrastructure, we are creating the conditions necessary for sustained agricultural growth as climate resilience also means protecting the livelihood of farmers after disaster strikes,” Edmondson told the gathering on Saturday, day two of the 72nd staging of the annual Denbigh Agricultural and Industrial Food Show.

He explained that RADA serves more than 284,000 farmers across Jamaica and last year extension officers conducted some 70,000 farm visits, delivered 10,000 formal training, and 11,000 informal training, with technical services reaching more than 60,000 farmers.

Ariel Wedderburn, marketing coordinator at JP Farms, displaying a bunch of ripe bananas. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

“Agriculture is far more than just crops and livestock, agriculture is food security, employment, rural development, and entrepreneurship. Agriculture remains one of the strongest pillars on which Jamaica’s future will be built. Our farmers continue to face new realities, climate change is no longer a future discussion, it is our present reality. Long dry periods, unpredictable rainfall, and rising production costs demand that we farm differently, think differently, and support our farmers differently,” said Edmondson.

In the meantime, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining Floyd Green told the Denbigh show that Jamaica is building a more resilient agriculture sector.

“A sector that people can bounce back quickly after major weather-related events. We are seeing resilience like never before. We were able to see our vegetable production bounce back by January after Hurricane Melissa [last October] and that was because, as a Government, we are doing things a lot different. We know that some weather event will happen, either drought, wind, storm or hurricane, so we just have to prepare,” said Green.