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A training programme for unemployed rural youth that teaches techniques of sustainable
organic farming and promotes small enterprise development, utilising an
integrated set of technical and commercial support services.
In the last thirty years, rural communities across
Jamaica have been in steady decline. High unemployment,
increasing rural to urban migration, environmental
degradation and harmful agricultural
practices feature among the most serious challenges
confronting communities. This project aims to address
these issues by promoting sustainable development
and facilitating economic growth through
skills-training and entrepreneurship.
The project involves a wide range of local, national
and international NGOs, businesses, schools and environmental
education organisations, as well as local
and national public authorities. Through the collaborative
development of an organic farming training
programme, Rising in the East aims to empower
youth through the promotion of holistic agriculture,
while capitalising on the region’s cultural heritage
and eco-tourism opportunities.
This project will challenge the negative perceptions
held by many young people about farming. By emphasising
entrepreneurship, and demonstrating successful
business management in agriculture, participants
will develop the capacity to implement the
skills taught, and thereby improve their incomes and
living standards.
This 5-year project encourages a whole-system approach
to organic farming and conservation. It has
two phases:
Phase 1: A three-month integrated training course to
introduce the principles and basic techniques of
organic farming and conservation. A variety of approaches
will be utilised including seminars, multimedia
facilities and field-trips, with an emphasis on
practical demonstration and application.
Phase 2: A three-month on-site supervised apprenticeship
on organic farms where participants will to
implement the principles and techniques learned in
Phase 1.
Ultimately, the project will serve as a model that can
be replicated in rural communities throughout
Jamaica and the wider Caribbean.
