Jamaican farmers' organizations start National Learning Route to strengthen the family farming sector.

Kingston 25-10-2022 As part of the Farmers’ Organizations for 4ACP project activities, from Tuesday, 25^th to Saturday, 29^th October, FAO, IFAD, and the NGO Procasur will implement the National Learning Route, aiming to improve the associative and entrepreneurial capacities of family farmers in the country.

The Opening Ceremony had the participation of the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., the FAO’s Representative for Jamaica, Dr. Crispim Moreira, IFAD’s Global Senior Advisor, Marco Marzano and Procasur’s President, mr. Juan Moreno.

Pedro Boareto, the coordinator of the FO4ACP program, explains that the Route will allow knowing in the field the good practices and solutions applied by rural talents, who, during this week, become trainers.

"The starting point of the program was the mapping and characterization of the organizational and business situation of producer organizations. In addition, an open call for participation in the program was launched, which resulted in the selection of six producer organizations that were invited to participate in a Training Program" explained Boareto.

The project coordinator said that these preliminary activities were used to identify priorities and knowledge needs to guide the design of the program’s activities, including the Learning Route.

The National Learning Route will provide an opportunity to strengthen the associative, managerial, and operational capabilities of the country's small producers' organizations. Four Farmers’ Organizations will be the host cases and share their experiences and good practices in rural business development of four farmers' organizations in the country: Jamaica Coffee Growers Association (JCGA), Jamaica Fisherman Co-operative Union (JFCU), Ebony Park Agro Co-operative Union (EPAC) and Potato & Onion Producers Association (POPA).

Juan Moreno, president of Procasur explains that the Learning Route is a continuous learning process that occurs directly in the field over five days. It seeks to expand and diversify the rural areas’ technical advisory services, including and valuing the best experiences and knowledge of organizations, enterprises, and Rural Champions in the country.