Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr. (centre), joins students viewing sea urchins during the St. Ann 4-H Clubs Achievement Day exposition at Brown’s Town Primary School in the parish, on Thursday (March 30). Assisting them are Outreach Officer at the Discovery Bay Marine Lab, Trudy-Ann Campbell (left), and Intern at the facility, Calese Hare (second left).
The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, through its youth training arm, the Jamaica 4-H Clubs, continues to be deliberate in supporting and empowering young people in agriculture.
Portfolio Minister, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., emphasised this while addressing the St. Ann 4-H Clubs Achievement Day exposition at Brown’s Town Primary School in the parish, on 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.
Overall, the national body has facilitated training for nearly 800 students islandwide in recent years.
“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,” Mr. Charles stated.
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 noted that it is imperative that every boy and girl see farming as a viable option for a sustainable livelihood.
“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],” Mr. Charles said.
He added 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.”
For his part, Acting Executive Director of the Jamaica 4-H Clubs, Garfield Ewart, said the entity continues to support a number of other initiatives.
Among these, he indicated, are the school and family home garden programmes, noting that these “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.
