A group of 186 farmers have graduated from a climate-smart agriculture farmer field school and climate change action training programme in Jamaica, as the island nation takes steps to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

An article in Caribseek News looks at many of the programs being implemented through the Jamaica Rural Economy and Ecosystems Adapting to Climate Change (Ja REEACH) project, including the training program and agroforestry and reforestation efforts. More than 350,000 trees have been planted in order to protect over 200 acres of vulnerable watersheds across the country.

Climate change poses a major threat to agricultural development in Jamaica due to the “country’s small land mass, fragile ecosystems, high dependence on food imports and the increasing impact of frequent natural disasters, such as hurricanes, floods, landslides, droughts and heavy winds,” says the article. It is estimated that damage and loss in the agricultural sector associated with major climate events between 1994 and 2010 was some $14.4 billion.

The Ja REEACH project has established demonstration plots that illustrate best practice in climate-smart agriculture. They include planting of fruit and timber trees, water diversion ditches, individual basins and the establishment of continuous mounds.

More than 1,000 farmers have been trained in climate-smart practices, many of whom are now “transferring the technology to their own farm holdings, a demonstrable sign that adaptation is occurring among the farmers of this country,” said Luther Buchanan, Minister of State for Agriculture, Labour and Social Security.

He outlined how building the resilience of critical ecosystems in the island is essential for reducing vulnerability to climate change and variability.

Read the full story: Climate Change Mitigation Programmes Reaping Success - Buchanan