Access Financial Services Limited has invested $500,000 as title sponsor of the Jamaica 4-H Clubs Youth in Agriculture Village at the 72nd Denbigh Agricultural, Industrial and Food Show in Clarendon.

The sponsorship, announced at the Village’s opening ceremony on Saturday, August 1, at the Denbigh Show Grounds in May Pen, marks the company’s first time as title sponsor of the Youth in Agriculture Village. The Village showcases the work of young farmers and 4-H members from across the island and is a centrepiece of the annual three-day agricultural show, held this year under the theme ‘Growing Forward: Cultivating a Path to a Better Jamaica’.

Collin Virgo, Chairman of the Jamaica 4-H Clubs, welcomed the partnership, noting that the support would strengthen the organisation’s mission of developing those future leaders.

“We are grateful for the investment that Access Financial Services has made in our young people. This kind of corporate support is what allows us to continue building the programmes that prepare Jamaica’s youth to lead the future of agriculture,” said Virgo.

The Jamaica 4-H Clubs, established in 1940, is the Ministry of Agriculture’s youth training arm, with a membership of more than 105,000 young people between the ages of five and twenty-five. With the average age of a Jamaican farmer standing at approximately 49 years, the organisation plays a critical role in developing the next generation of agricultural leaders and ensuring the long-term sustainability of Jamaica’s farming sector.

Nicholas Mundell, Marketing Manager at Access Financial Services, who delivered greetings on behalf of the company at the ceremony, said the investment reflects the term food security.

“When we invest in the young people who are choosing to build their futures in agriculture, we are investing in the long-term viability of Jamaica’s national food security,” said Mundell. “Access has a strong tradition of supporting youth development across Jamaica, and this partnership with the Jamaica 4-H Clubs is a natural extension of that commitment.”

The opening ceremony also featured a keynote address by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Floyd Green, and greetings from the Custos Rotulorum of Clarendon, Mrs. Edith Chin and Peter Thompson, Executive Director of the Jamaica 4-H Clubs. The winners of the 2026 Farm Queen competition were also in attendance.

Speakers at the ceremony echoed a common theme – the need to encourage more young Jamaicans to pursue careers in agriculture as a pathway to national food security.