The Jamaica 4-H Clubs is being toasted today for driving youth empowerment in agriculture.

In fact, the youth training arm of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries continues to be deliberate in supporting and empowering young people in agriculture. Portfolio minister Pearnel Charles Jr., toasted the organisation during his address at the St. Ann 4-H Clubs Achievement Day exposition at Brown’s Town Primary School in the parish last Thursday (March 30).

To date, the Jamaica 4-H Clubs, which has a membership of 105,000, has supported over 758 new agricultural ventures in crop and livestock production, agri-processing and fisheries. Additionally, 81 students from St Ann, who are pursuing agricultural science studies at secondary and tertiary institutions, have been selected for scholarships and bursaries through the entity.

Facilitated training for nealry 800 students island-wide

Overall, the national body has facilitated training for nearly 800 students island-wide in recent years. “Through the 4-H Clubs, we believe strongly that our young people are the future for Jamaica, and we are very proud. We want to make sure that you become responsible, productive, constructive citizens [of this country],” Charles said.

He charged that “if we continue to work together, we will not just see growth in agriculture, but we will see development in our children, their education, lifestyle and communities,” adding “we want to give every single boy and girl in Jamaica an opportunity to get involved in farming, whether you want to be a farmer or not.”

The minister indicated that young people must recognise their responsibility and value to the development of Jamaica’s agricultural sector, which has recorded seven consecutive quarters of growth. He pointed to the imperative of every boy and girl seeing farming as a viable option for a sustainable livelihood.

Supporting other initiatives

For his part, acting executive director of the Jamaica 4-H Clubs, Garfield Ewart highlighted that the entity continues to support a number of other initiatives such as the school and family home garden programmes, which are geared towards getting young people involved in agriculture.

Thursday’s Achievement Day event, which was held under the theme – ‘Grow Smart, Eat Smart: Youth Responding to Food Security’, was the first face-to-face staging since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, in March 2020.

It was attended by students and teachers from several primary and secondary schools across the parish who participated in a wide range of activities, including debating and livestock care events, art presentations, and composting competitions.

Among the institutions represented were Ferncourt High School, St Ann’s Bay Primary School, Claremont All-Age School, Aabuthnott Gallimore High School, and Parry Town Primary and Infant School.