The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining has earmarked $1 million in grant funding for young farmers to fund their agricultural enterprises through a business pitch competition coming to the Ministry’s Rural Youth Economic Empowerment Programme (RYEEP) this year.

RYEEP provides entrepreneurial training to young Jamaicans in areas such as business development and management, and best practices in agriculture. It is operated through the ministry’s youth arm, the Jamaica 4-H Clubs, in partnership with the HEART Trust/NSTA.

While speaking at the official opening ceremony for the Papine High School Greenhouse on February 5, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining Floyd Green said, “After our students go through the training, they will still get the grant, but they will also have a chance to compete in the pitch competition and win $1 million towards expanding their agricultural enterprise.”

Minister Green informed students of the various RYEEP programmes available and encouraged them to take advantage of the opportunities available through these programmes.

“If you’re just getting involved in agriculture, we do have a programme called the RYEEP starter where you can apply, and we will carry you through some training, and we will give you a grant at the end of the training to start your agricultural enterprise,” he shared.

“If you already have a farm, you can apply for the RYEEP Builder where we will carry you through about six months of training and give you a grant at the end of that training to expand your agricultural enterprise,” Green added.

In relation to the greenhouse, which was constructed through a US$25,000 grant from the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility Special Purpose Credit (CCRIF SPC) and houses a closed-loop NFT hydroponics system, Minister Green said it represents an investment in the future of Jamaica as it will strengthen the nation’s capacity to adapt to climate challenges while simultaneously helping to train the next generation of experts in the field of agriculture.

“Students will be able to learn how to approach protective agriculture, they will be introduced to irrigation systems and how these systems help in food production. As such, they will develop the capacity to solve some of our agricultural challenges,” he said.

“I expect that the students of Papine High will craft innovative solutions that the Ministry and Jamaica can use as we build out more protective agriculture,” Green added.

The agriculture minister also shared that the programme supports the ministry’s objective of youth involvement and engagement. He added that the profession of farming is growing in Jamaica, evidenced by a shift in the number of registered farmers from about 245,000 to 268,000 over the last four years. The increase in registered farmers is made up mostly of young people.