GECAFS/SANREM WORKSHOP June 16-17, 2005 Georgetown, Guyana

1
GECAFS/SANREM WORKSHOP June 16-17,
2005Georgetown, Guyana

• Ministry of Agriculture Perspectives
• Jamaica
• Joseph Lindsay

2
Major Environmental Issues

• Frequency of hurricanes
• Storm surges and coastal erosion
• Unpredictable rainfall
• Frequency of flooding
• Frequency of droughts
• Fires-loss agriculture, bio-diversity
• Increase incidence of soil salinization
• Soil erosion and deforestation
• Threat of the effects of pests/diseases Viruses,
  CTV Lethal Yellowing,

3
Major Environmental Issues

• Loss of best agricultural lands to
  housing/infrastructure
• Reef destruction
• Loss of mangrove swamps to hotel, ports and roads
  and pollution

4
Agricultural Strategy 2005-2008

• Competitive Agricultural Sector
• Ensure national food security
• Expansion of agricultural products
• Provision of raw materials for agro-industry
• Investment of US500m from Govt. and private
  sector

5
Linkages

• Tourism-Agriculture-Linkages
• -Targeting food production for tourism industry
  hence market for gt 4million
• Eco-tourism
• Youth in Agriculture
• Poverty Alleviation
• Rural development/Job creation/rural
• Agro-industrial development

6
Priority Policy Objectives

• Competitiveness studies
• Adopting commodity industry approach
• Reduction in environmental degradation and
  increased reforestation/agro forestry
• Improvement in watershed management
• Fruit/Tree crop development-14 fruit tree crops
• Organic Farming
• Good Agricultural Practices
• Improvement in irrigation

7
Priority

• Apiculture
• Aquaculture
• Small ruminant development
• Biodiversity/improvement germplasm
• Agricultural Health and Food Safety/Plant Health
  Database
• National Research Coordination Mechanism

8
Jamaican Collaborators

• Universities UWI-UWICED, Geography, NCU
• CIDA-Forestryagroforestry/Watershed
• Planning Institute of Jamaica
• FAO Fruit Tree Crops
• Jamaica Bauxite Institute-mining/degradation land
  rehabilitation
• National Council on Science and Technology
• National Environment and Planning Agency
• Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency
  Management