Four months following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, Jamaica’s agriculture sector has witnessed a new dawn with the investment of J$80 million Small Farmer Gift Card Programme launched by the American Friends of Jamaica (AFJ), in partnership with Hardware & Lumber Limited (H&L) and the Hardware & Lumber Foundation.

This initiative was formally launched on Tuesday, February 24 at S Hotel, Kingston, where Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining Floyd Green was present and expressed his endorsement.

The AFJ also announced a US$1 million seed donation from Back to the Roots, an NGO in the USA, which will broaden AFJ’s efforts to support Jamaican farmers. 

Hurricane Melissa caused an estimated J$30 billion in agricultural losses, affecting approximately 70,000 farmers, with small farmers in Westmoreland, St. Elizabeth, Hanover, St. James, and Trelawny among the hardest hit. The new initiative aims to help farmers recover quickly by restoring access to critical agricultural inputs.

Under the programme, AFJ has committed US$500,000 (approximately J$80 million) to fund the distribution of up to 1,600 co-branded AFJ/H&L gift cards, each valued at J$50,000, enabling small farmers to purchase seeds, fertilisers, chemicals, tools, and other essential supplies from H&L through its retail network, H&L Agro and H&L Rapid True Value.

AFJ and H&L will work closely with the Ministry of Agriculture, the Rural Agricultural

Development Authority (RADA) and the Jamaica Agricultural Society to identify eligible farmers across the affected parishes. Gift cards will be jointly distributed by AFJ, H&L, and the H&L Foundation in February and March 2026.

During her address, Wendy Hart, President, AFJ said Hurricane Melissa revealed strengths, but it also exposed structural gaps and demonstrated that effective recovery requires more advanced funding, collaboration across government, the private sector and civil society.

“In the wake of Hurricane Melissa, we witnessed first-hand the devastating impact on Jamaica’s agricultural sector, and when agriculture is disrupted, the effects ripple across markets, households and communities. Today, we launch the Small Farmer Gift Card Programme, which is an essential component of AFJ Rebuild. AFJ Rebuild is the current focus of our response to Hurricane Melissa, centred on five communities in the five most severely impacted parishes in the West. Reflecting AFJ’s overall mission to support initiatives that advance self-sufficiency, promote healthy communities and strengthen the nation,” Hart said. 

She also said Hurricane Melissa underscored the importance of strong systems, reliable data, preparedness planning and coordinated response mechanisms that accelerate recovery. 

“At the AFJ, we understand that implementation is everything. We do our best when we operate in partnership, combining resources, expertise and capacity. We are grateful to the government, to our corporate partner, H&L and the sector agencies,” she said.

Adding to this, Caron Chung, Executive Director, AFJ recalled when she attended the soft launch of the programme in Maggotty, St Elizabeth, some weeks ago, and there were over 300 farmers who attended. 

“This initiative represents a direct investment of J$80 million into the hands of nearly 1,600 farmers across western Jamaica. It is targeted, practical support designed to help farmers replant, restock, repair, restart and rebuild. For many farmers, this was not simply a setback. It was a direct threat to their livelihoods. At the national level, it has been a threat to the nation’s food security. Through these gift cards, farmers will be able to access critical agricultural inputs: seeds, fertilisers, tools, livestock, feed and other essential supplies,” Chung said. 

“Small farmers are among the most vulnerable in our society, particularly in the face of climate change, rising input costs and the increasing frequency of natural disasters. A single storm, as we saw with Melissa, can wipe out months of labour. A spike in fertiliser costs can erase already thin margins, and recovery is rarely immediate,” she said.

For her part, Olive Downer Walsh, Chairman, H&L Foundation, said, “At H&L, we believe collaboration is the engine for success in recovery. We’re proud to partner with American Friends of Jamaica, whose commitment to sustainable development and community empowerment inspires us to keep delivering the best solutions for the farmers and communities we serve. Together, we’re confident this initiative will strengthen our farmers’ work in building Jamaica’s food security. When we work side by side, everyone wins.”

In offering the keynote address, Floyd Green, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining commended all parties involved in launching the initiative. 

Green applauded the efforts of the AFJ, H&L and H&L Foundation and said that this agricultural investment is important and the project is critical, “because agriculture drives our economy. And when agriculture does well, the country does well.”

He said the programme will benefit farmers who were focussing on reconstructing their houses and trying to get their families back together, and they are now ready to go into their planting season.

He also said this programme was launched at the ideal time as Jamaica goes into phase two of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining’s recovery and restoration, and the up to 1,600 farmers who stand to benefit will continue Jamaica’s progress in terms of recovery.