Neil Richards | Stop taking over farmlands to develop housing solutions

Neither Government nor private developers should continue taking over Jamaica’s good farmlands with either simple or sophisticated housing schemes. The use of highly productive agricultural lands for housing should be severely restricted and allowed only when a clear national necessity is proven.

Yet across the island, construction of large, low-density housing estates continues unchecked on soils of great agricultural value. This must be halted. If allowed to continue, Jamaica will face deepening food insecurity and further erosion of any hope for agricultural self-sufficiency – an economic pillar that should stand confidently beside the ever-glorified tourism sector.

The farmlands most at risk are the broad southern plains, where population growth and suburban aspirations have produced a flood of residential development. Similar patterns are emerging across the northern plains as well. The Government of Jamaica should urgently undertake a comprehensive national review of the loss of our most productive lands. Such an assessment could catalyse long-overdue action to protect what remains.

History offers a sobering warning. When Kingston became Jamaica’s capital in 1872, the northeastern Liguanea Plain supported three thriving sugar estates – Hope, Papine, and Mona – each exceeding 1,000 acres. Today, those once-fertile lands are completely absorbed by urban expansion.

TURNING POINT

A decisive turning point came in 1958 with the development of Mona Heights, the model for Jamaica’s era of mass-produced, single-storey housing. Hope Pastures followed with more generous lots. Then came Hughenden, Havendale, Meadowbrook, and similar developments. These subdivisions steadily consumed valuable agricultural land that once flourished with fruit trees and commercial production.

At that time, a few higher-density sites in metropolitan St Andrew attempted modest alternatives, but none matched the scale of what was soon to occur in Portmore. Beginning with Independence City, Edgewater, and Bridgeport, Portmore’s early schemes were largely established on non-agricultural lands and temporarily slowed what could have been an overwhelming surge of low-density housing onto the fertile plains of southern St Catherine. In retrospect, however, it is unfortunate that more of Portmore’s marginal lands were not reserved for multi-storey or higher-density housing. Such foresight might have significantly reduced later pressures on prime agricultural soils.

The limestone geology and poor soils of Hellshire offered excellent opportunities for dense, modern housing solutions. In fact, the authorities once declared an explicit objective to develop the Hellshire Hills “to prevent the invasion of the excellent agricultural lands of South St Catherine”. Yet the feared invasion happened far sooner than expected. By the early 2000s, the Caymanas Estate began welcoming fashionable housing developments. Meanwhile, Old Harbour and its surrounding districts became one of the fastest-growing urban zones in Jamaica — a trend that continues today, almost entirely at the expense of high-quality farmlands.

A similar trajectory unfolded on the north coast. In the 1970s, the rich estate of Catherine Hall in St James became the foundation for new housing, setting a pattern for former sugar estates in St Ann and other parishes to be converted into single-storey, low-density schemes. If millions of Jamaicans had not migrated during the past century, the pressure on agricultural lands would have been even more severe — and the consequences far more damaging.

FORMIDABLE CHALLENGE

The challenge facing policymakers today is formidable: how to meet legitimate housing demand without sacrificing the nation’s limited supply of productive farmland. Quick-fix or short-term responses are no longer acceptable. Proposals to combine modern agriculture with residential development are innovative but insufficiently robust to address the scale of the problem.

What Jamaica needs urgently is a comprehensive, long-range approach to spatial and physical planning. We must develop the technical capacity to look 50 to 100 years ahead, anticipating population shifts, economic needs, technological changes, cultural preferences, and climate realities. Only then can decisions about land use, infrastructure, and public utilities be grounded in foresight rather than expediency. Such planning is essential not only for sound investment in capital works but also for safeguarding food security and ensuring that adequate, appropriate housing remains available for all Jamaicans.

It is clear that the traditional model of the detached, single-storey home with a private garden can no longer dominate our residential landscape. Jamaica must gradually transition towards well-designed medium- and higher-density housing options. This does not mean replicating the extreme densities of Hong Kong or Singapore, but it does require a more efficient use of land, one that supports urban growth while preserving farmland essential to national survival.

At the same time, small farmers need sustained government support to adopt technologies that improve yields on limited acreages. Their contribution is indispensable to local food production. Large agricultural ventures, too, should be granted strong, targeted incentives to expand domestic output and pursue export markets. Strengthening these enterprises will reduce the temptation to convert prime agricultural lands into housing developments.

Neil Richards is an architect and a town planner. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com