The Government is boosting the country’s food security with the announcement of $35 million in support for the Jamaica Organic Agriculture Movement (JOAM).

Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Franklin Witter, made the announcement yesterday (July 6) during the organisation’s annual ‘Farming as a Business’ conference at the University of Technology (UTech), where he noted that the support will be channelled towards JOAM’s soil regeneration and fertility improvement project.

“The objectives of this project include rebuilding soil health, training farmers in soil and water management techniques, and raising public awareness on the importance of regenerating the natural environment, among other things,” Witter outlined as he assured that “we stand in strong support of JOAM’s mission to facilitate the development of a sustainable and economically viable agricultural sector”.

The state minister pointed out that investing in soil health is one of the most important steps to address global food security, climate change and improve farmers’ financial well-being.

He referenced Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) data that showed 95 per cent of the food consumed is cultivated in the soil, thus making it a vital resource.

“Healthy soil will produce healthy crops, increase yields to feed a growing population and mitigate climate change through carbon sequestration,” Witter stated.

The ‘Farming as a Business’ conference was held under the theme ‘Building Soil, Building Wealth’, and featured presentations from various stakeholders.

The topics discussed included wealth opportunities for farmers, branding the farm, understanding farmers’ rights, managing praedial larceny, and cash flow projections.