Small-scale farmers in Jamaica and across five other Caribbean countries are being empowered to play greater roles in the food security of the region, through the ‘Sustainable, profitable value chains and market linkages in the Caribbean’ project.

The project which is estimated to cost some US$1.5 million was officially launched on August 4 at a ceremony held at the Sandals Ocho Rios Resort in St Ann.

It will target some 2,220 small scale farmers, in six countries namely Jamaica, St Lucia, Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, and Antigua and Barbuda. The main objectives of the project are to equip and support small scale farmers with the skills and technology to cultivate better quality goods and to attract more lucrative markets for their produce.

The project is being implemented by the Caribbean Farmers Network (CaFAN) and funded by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA ACP-EU) in partnership with the Sandals Foundation.