Farmer from St Peters, Jamaica takes the floor- World Soil Day 2019

The community of St. Peters in East Rural St Andrew, Jamaica, located miles into the hills of the parish, is a beautiful countryside area with a lovely gentle breeze, lush land and beautiful sceneries. St Peters is also an area with susceptiblility to incidences of soil erosion. As the home to many farmers of Jamaica’s famed coffee beans, St Peters is a special contributor to the country’s economy.

On World Soil Day 2019, FAO joined the Agricultural Land Management Division (ALMD) of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries (MICAF) at the Clifton Primary School in St Peters to engage farmers and community members in a Technical Seminar on Soil Erosion.

FAO's Communication Consultant Mrs Chrishane Williams-James delivered the World Soil Day message on behalf of FAO Representative Dr Crispim Moreira along with special greetings from the Senior Director of the ALMD, Mrs Joan Brown-Morrison and the Caretaker for East Rural, St Andrew, Mrs Joan Gordon-Webbley. Live demonstrations on planting across hillsides were delivered by the ALMD as the farmers engaged in discussions with experts on the causes of soil erosion and how we can #StopSoilErosion. Several presentations were made on the importance of soil testing, soil nourishment, planting methods and other aspects of soil management by RADA, AMLD and Newport Fersan. Farmers and community members shared their experiences and their own lessons and were taught methods of preventing and reducing indicidences of soil erosion to increase their production.