Emerging Voices in ICT and agriculture - CTA Publishing

A UNITED FRONT FOR FARMERS
Samantha Kaye-Christie,
Jamaica, Caribbean
While pursuing a degree in
psychology at the University of
the West Indies, I realized that
the poverty levels in Jamaica
have got worse. I think this is
due to the lack of interest in the
government in the agricultural
sector.
As a proud 20-year-old Jamaican young lady, I
take pride in reminiscing on the achievements in
my life so far. I grew up in the rural community of
Sandy Bay, Hanover. While attending secondary
school [The Montego Bay High School for Girls]
I adopted a spirit that was geared towards volunteerism.
This continued throughout my tertiary
level institution where I aligned myself with the
Junior Chamber International (JCI) organization
to further fulfil service needs.
I hope that the government will seek to enhance
this vital sector (which serves as a means of
added employment), resulting in a reduction in
the levels of poverty.
My favourite quote:
“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation.
We do not act rightly because we have
virtue or excellence, but we rather have those
because we have acted rightly. We are what we
repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act
but a habit.” – Aristotle
Essay summary
Farmers need to be more united if agriculture
is to thrive in the Jamaican parish of Hanover.
That is the verdict of the chairman of the Green
Island Cane Farmers’ Association, who claims
producers lack tools to communicate with each
other and with authorities and organizations
that could support them. The once high levels of
productivity in the parish are now in decline.
Farmers in Hanover complain of being neglected
by the Ministry of Agriculture and say that they
have no reliable channel through which to negotiate
conditions that affect their incomes. A 2009
study found that more than half of the Jamaican
farming community has access to a mobile
phone. However, this system of communication
has not proved sufficient to answer the needs
of local producers.
A more effective solution could be a small telecentre
in the parish of Hanover, with access
to an Intranet system to offer a constant, lowcost
link between the Ministry and farmers.
Skype could be part of the package, opening
| 14 Emering Voices in ICT and agriculture | PART 1