One Year In Government - Prime Minister Andrew Holness

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• • gleanerjamaica • jamaicagleaner • FEATURE THE GLEANER, THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017 H8
Christopher Serju
Gleaner Writer
THE DONATION of a greenhouse to The Manning’s School by
Food For The Poor some three years set the school on a path of
sustainable vegetable production, while also providing a platform
for introducing students to new and emerging aspects of agricultural
development.
Since then, under the guidance of Sharna-Gay Brown-
Davis, acting head of the agriculture department at
the Westmoreland-based school, the love,
appreciation and understanding of good
agricultural practices have really grown, with
benefits to all members of the school population
well documented.
“I’m looking at some of the lettuce I just got
from the greenhouse and all the tomatoes, and
it’s really selling. The greenhouse has
been very successful and we really
appreciate what Food
For The Poor has
done, and there is
sustainability with
this project,” boasted
vice-principal
Megan Berry
over the phone.
“Currently in
the greenhouse,
we have a lot of lettuce, plummy tomato,
and now we are doing a little experiment
with some corn,” Brown-Davis added.
“Half of the greenhouse is tomatoes and half
is lettuce. From last week we started to reap
lettuce, so we have the iceberg and the
Romaine lettuce – those are in demand.”
Cultivation used to be done in line with the
demand for crops from the canteen.
However, since last September when the
school divested operation of its canteen to a
concessionaire, teachers, parents and other
members of the community have continued to
support the informal ‘farmers’ market’ held every
Friday during crop time. In addition, the school is
looking into supplying lettuce to the canteen operator.
The practical experience garnered from the on-
hand training sessions in the greenhouse, which is
used as teaching tool for students doing agriculture
science and environmental science, has embolden
Brown-Davis to expand crop production to broaden
its open field operations, such as with the corn.
In keeping with the school’s agricultural programme, first- and
second-formers are introduced to seedling production and planting
directly into the soil in the greenhouse. At third form, students get
more involved in open field operations and are more directly
involved in crop care activities. In keeping with the Caribbean
Examination Council (CXC) curriculum, fourth-formers do practical
poultry production, going on to do crop production in fifth form.
“They (students) should be able to plant a root crop, a leaf crop
and fruit crop – essentially, they must be able to plant and care for at
least a fruit and a vegetable crop,” the acting head of the agriculture
department explained.
Since the school gave up the canteen operations, the poultry flock has
been reduced to 100 birds, down from the 500 that used to be reared,
also for supplying the lunch menu. However, sale from the poultry as
well as vegetables operation is still used to buy seeds and restock the
coop, ensuring sustainability of the project. Students are rostered to
operate the drip irrigation system, with a full-time farm hand on board
to ensure that the birds and crops are cared for during the holidays.
Continued viability of The Manning’s School seems assured,
given the strong support it receives from teachers, students, their
parents and friends of the institution who continue to buy from it,
prompting Brown-Davis to say, “The farm still going strong.”
CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS
The greenhouse on The Manning’s School’s farm.
Open field is a big part of the crop cultivation.
Romaine lettuce is one of the more popular crops grown in
the greenhouse, given the high demand for it.
Since giving up operation of the canteen franchise, the
school has cut its poultry production.
STABILITY IN the agriculture sector,
brought on by the Government’s deliberate
growth strategy, continuous rains and good
crops led to a boost in the country’s food security
and the general increases in the agricultural
sector.
Here’s a snapshot of agriculture’s growth in a
year:
As an incentive to production, the Government
gave up some $4.2 billion in annual revenue by
removing general consumption tax (GCT) on a
range of agricultural items. That pivotal move
has led to big returns.
The subgroup agriculture, forestry and fishing
experienced a 28 per cent increase, according to
the 2016 third-quarter performance report on
the economy from the Planning Institute of
Jamaica (PIOJ).
Agriculture was the highest net contributor to
the 2.2 per cent growth in gross domestic
product (GDP) for that period.
The last year allocated more than $1.1 billion to
assist Irish potato farmers and to boost
production. The National Potato Expansion
Programme represents another strategic
initiative to enhance Jamaica’s food security by
reducing imports, increasing self-sufficiency
and improving the incomes of farmers.
With a demand for over three million pounds of
ginger annually, the ministry gave increased
attention to tissue culture with the aim of
supplying disease-free ginger plants to farmers,
especially in the parishes of St James, Portland,
Manchester, St Thomas, and Clarendon.
The Government continued to assist the sugar
industry by pumping more than $200 million
into the sector, while providing $800 million to
rehabilitate roads in sugar cane producing areas.
This action kept 50,000 persons in jobs and
ensured that the export of the commodity
remained strong.
The Government provided $465 million to refurbish
the Research and Development Plant Health Lab at
the BodlesAgricultural Research Station in
St Catherine, which enabled the production of
disease-free plants for the agricultural sector.
The relaunch of the National School Garden
Programme last year facilitated the provision of
breakfast in educational institutions across the
island. Some 196 schools have been selected for
the first phase of the programme.
... Agri incentives bear fruit
REAPING SUCCESS
Manning’s School showing
the way in agriculture
Left: Sharna-Gay Brown-Davis, acting head of the
agriculture department, proudly shows off two heads of
pak choi reaped from the greenhouse.