Letter of the Day | Recovery through cooperatives after Hurricane Melissa
Published:Saturday | December 13, 2025 | 12:06 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
Hurricane Melissa has left many residents in St Elizabeth, Hanover, Trelawny, St James, and Westmoreland grappling with the daunting task of rebuilding their lives. With homes destroyed, livelihoods lost, and many employers in the same plight, the affected communities have little or no economic means to move forward.
The Social Development Commission (SDC), which is mandated to drive community development, must now step up and chart a clear path forward. One proven model is the cooperative movement, which can deliver group benefits that individuals alone cannot achieve.
Benefits of cooperatives:
1. Shared resources & risk pooling – joint purchase of equipment, seeds, or fishing gear.
2. Access to credit & micro finance – member-owned savings and loan facilities.
3. Collective marketing & better prices – aggregating produce to reach wider markets.
4. Training & capacity building – workshops on sustainable farming, fisheries management, entrepreneurship.
5. Resilience & disaster preparedness – pooled emergency funds and mutual aid
The SDC should now seek to partner with The University of the West Indies (UWI) – specifically the department that focuses on cooperatives – as well as with the HEART/NSTA Trust. These collaborations would strengthen education, training, and implementation of cooperative initiatives.
One key component of the programme should be sweat equity, where community members contribute labour and effort in lieu of financial investment, building ownership and sustainability from the ground up.
Such a partnership could also pilot projects in agriculture, fisheries, and micro-enterprise, blending academic research, vocational training, and community-driven development.
Israel’s early adoption of cooperatives (kibbutzim, moshavim) transformed its agriculture and community stability, and I witnessed similar impact during a visit in the early ‘80s.
I urge policymakers, community leaders, and stakeholders to explore cooperative structures — whether for fishermen, farmers, or small businesses — to rebuild stronger, more inclusive economies.
COLIN FAGAN
Former State Minister