Essex Valley farmers ready to combat food security challenges

WESTERN BUREAU:

Farmers in Essex Valley, St Elizabeth, have welcomed the Government’s latest investment in the farming belt. However, they say the real test is whether the resources being provided can translate into increased production, stronger businesses and greater economic opportunities for the community.

David Wilson, secretary of the Essex Valley Farmers Benevolent Society, which represents 283 farmers, said the equipment, irrigation supplies, water-storage resources, agricultural inputs and land-clearing support were more than immediate assistance.

“These are resources that give our farmers greater capacity to work, to recover and to keep producing,” said Wilson, while participating in Wednesday’s handover ceremony for the Essex Valley Agro-Economic Zone in St Elizabeth.

The intervention comes as farmers grapple with the fallout from Hurricane Melissa and prolonged dry conditions.

“Yet, through it all, our farmers have continued to persevere,” said Wilson, noting that farmers had returned to their fields, replanted and rebuilt despite the setbacks.

However, Wilson made it clear that gratitude alone will not be enough.

“Because the greatest expression of gratitude will not be found in the words we speak today. It will be found in the acres we cultivate, the crops we produce, the businesses we strengthen, and the opportunities we create for the generations coming behind us,” he said.

Wilson’s comments dovetailed with Agriculture Minister Floyd Green’s call for Essex Valley farmers to ramp up production as Jamaica confronts worsening weather conditions and the threat of food shortages.

HALLMARK PROJECT

Green has described the Essex Valley Agro-Economic Zone as a “hallmark project” in the Government’s push to transform agriculture around food security, agribusiness, climate-smart technology and exports.

“Essex Valley is the hallmark project around that vision of transformation,” said Green, outlining the aim of connecting agricultural production with the infrastructure and services needed to build a stronger agricultural economy, while ensuring farmers have the resources and productive capacity to take full advantage of the investment.

Green said the Government was moving beyond promises and putting its plans into action through irrigation, roads, storage, agro-processing and technology.

“We’re doing this for the farmers, not the other way around,” said Green, who said the Government expects farmers to make greater use of irrigation and technology to compensate for declining rainfall and rising temperatures.

“We’re going to be calling upon you to do more, because you will have to be able to help us fill the void that is being created by these weather conditions,” he said.

He noted that the Government is also providing water tanks, drip-irrigation kits, walk-behind tractors, weed workers, chainsaws and fertiliser, while Agro-Invest Corporation is expected to assist some farmers with free land preparation.

Green said the investment is intended to overcome labour shortages and improve efficiency.

“Everybody wants to own a farm. Nobody wants to work on a farm. So we have to use the technology now to ensure that if it’s you, and doing your agricultural enterprise, you can still do it efficiently.”

For Wilson, however, the ultimate prize is not simply increased production, but ensuring farmers benefit from what happens after the crops leave their fields.

“The opportunity before us now is to strengthen what happens after production – to connect farmers to processing, markets and value-added opportunities, so that more of the wealth created from agriculture can remain within our communities.”

Green said the Government is investing alongside the United Kingdom and Caribbean Development Bank in storage and agro-processing infrastructure, including facilities powered by renewable energy.

Wilson urged farmers to treat the intervention as a responsibility and use the resources wisely.

“Thank you for believing that the future of Essex Valley is worth investing in,” he said, while also stating that the stakes extend beyond Essex Valley.

“Our goal, regardless of the weather conditions, is to be able to feed ourselves. We are not trying to have to depend on anybody else to feed us, as food security is as important as national security,” he said.

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com