Projects

Strategies and development programmes,Expertise and research work,

Technical Advisor to the Ministry of Agriculture - Jamaica

Jamaica

European Commission

Government of Jamaica, Ministry of Agriculture

The European Union (EU) has been providing project support to the banana industry in Jamaica since 1995. The current EU Banana Support Programme (EUBSP), financed under the 10 year Strategic Framework of Assistance (SFA), has in recent years adopted a two-pronged approach as follows: (i)To promote the continued improvement in competitiveness of the export banana industry with emphasis being placed on certification and the adoption of international standards. (ii)To support diversification from banana production to alternative viable and sustainable livelihoods through the provision of assistance for rural diversification. In order to maximise the impact and benefit of this final SFA allocation, the Government of Jamaica (GoJ) proceeded with an internal annual review of its strategy for the EUBSP and banana sector in general. This was held in the wake of Hurricane Dean, a category 4 Hurricane that hit Jamaica on 19th August 2007 and destroyed 90 per cent of the banana crop. Jamaica has now been impacted by five major hurricanes in the last four years, and this latest event has provoked a major rethink on the future of the banana sub-sector by key stakeholders. This has resulted in greater emphasis being placed upon the domestic market and diversification. A Strategic Workshop held in December 2007 to plan the final implementation period of the EUBSP led to greater focus on rural development in banana growing areas. The workshop established a set of goals for the final years of SFA implementation between 2008 and 2012. In summary these goals concentrate on the economic empowerment of traditional banana growing communities through the sustainable development of commercially viable banana and other business enterprises. In these final years of the programme issues of sustainability will be addressed by: -consolidating EUBSP interventions to promote improvement in competitiveness of the banana industry -support to improve the ability to cope with hurricanes; -rationalising and institutionalising research and extension services either through full cost recovery, or where this is not possible, thought incorporation into government; -where appropriate, working through and strengthening other rural development organisations in order to promote and support diversification; -development of appropriate disaster management and coping mechanisms aimed at minimising the risks of climate change and the increasing incidence of hurricanes.

Start date: 2008-10-01

End date: 2009-10-31