The Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), in the fiscal year 2023/24, will continue initiatives on climate change under the Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project.

This announcement was made by Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister, Floyd Green during his presentation in the 2023/24 Sectoral Debate presentation today (May 16).

The Project, is intended to support the Government of Jamaica (GoJ) in disaster risk management in the wider context of sustainable development. Activities under the project aim to reduce disaster and climate vulnerability. This is hoped to be achieved by making infrastructure more resilient; improve the capacity of government institutions, generate and use hazard and risk information to shape local and national development, and to assist the GoJ to manage its fiscal liabilities associated with disasters, to work towards an ex-ante risk financing strategy.

Under the project, “we are continuing the drainage works at the Myton Gully Crossing in St. Catherine which is being undertaken at a cost of J$245 million. This intervention will reduce the risk of flooding for over 37,000 residents and the numerous persons who use this area as an access route to Kingston,” he said.

The minister also noted that in the current fiscal year, JSIF will be constructing and equipping a bio-secure, climate resilient tilapia fish hatchery at the Aquaculture Branch in Twickenham Park, in St. Catherine where 28 members of staff from the National Fisheries Authority will receive training.

“For this financial year, JSIF will be investing in the agroparks at the Plantain Garden River at Ebony Park to boost the irrigation systems to benefit over 110 farmers and bring 150 acres of arable land into production,” Green added.

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