EDITORIAL - Agriculture digging its grave

How can Government suggest that agriculture presents the best hope for rural development when the agency charged with driving that vehicle is not given vital budgetary resources to undertake the job?

As editors of this newspaper listened to the failings of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), as told by agricultural interests earlier this week, it seems fairly obvious that the Government itself does not believe that maximising land and manpower in agricultural pursuit is the answer to economic development in rural Jamaica.

Politicians say it often and loudly: Agriculture is what will revitalise rural communities, create jobs, and improve the quality of life, but actions prove that these utterances are meaningless.

Distressed rural communities tell an eloquent story of the failings of RADA and the Government. Farmers complain that visits from extension officers are few and far between, and when they do show up, they are not very helpful. With RADA's budget for extension services cut by some $19 million this year, travelling becomes an issue. So with an eye on compensation, the RADA officer is not inclined to go too far from base.

One online reader who responded to the news story about RADA says he had applied for a farmer's ID since December 2009 and he is still waiting. Registration and verification of farmers was undertaken as part of the Agriculture Business Information System to facilitate agricultural planning and to guarantee access to extension services. If it takes more than three years to register, what good is this system to the farmer?

And according to Mildred Crawford, president of the Jamaica Network of Rural Women Producers, more than 35 per cent of rural women farmers have not seen an extension officer in years.

CRITICAL AGENCY

RADA, Jamaica's chief agricultural extension and rural development agency, was established in 1990. It has a critical role to play in agricultural development in areas of technical research, education, technology transfer training and marketing. It is this agency which must introduce the small farmers to modern inputs and innovative ideas that will help to increase productivity and raise crop yields.

For a brief moment, it seemed like RADA had at least one grand idea when it initiated the series of farmers' markets at new venues, giving consumers access to fresh produce, including fruits and vegetables, at reasonable prices. But then RADA appeared to have run out of steam.

RADA's inertia is certainly not the only factor affecting agriculture. The perennial problem of praedial larceny also looms large in the catalogue of woes facing the sector. And as yet, no viable solution has been found to catch and punish those guilty of raiding farmers' livestock and crops.

The question of research was also raised by the stakeholders, and one wonders how the work of the Scientific Research Council (SRC) filters down to the rural farmer. Should RADA not be the bridge between a sophisticated agency such as the SRC and the rural farmer and his products?

There are many development issues competing for Government's attention, including education, health, and national security. However, rural development has to be seen as a priority, for if given the necessary tools, this will lay the foundation for the kind of development that will significantly reduce poverty and establish a self-sustaining economy.

The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.

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