Scores of farmers in the Mocho, Clarendon now have full responsibility for 28 acres of mined out land in the rural community, which they can put to productive use.
This follows the signing of a lease agreement between Jerome Maxwell, the Managing Director of Jamalco, and Enos Anderson, the Chairman of the Mocho Community Council’s Project Management Committee on Tuesday.
The lease agreement signifies the transfer of responsibility.
Sitting on the land in the rural Clarendon community are six green houses, a training centre and an irrigation system that comprise the Mocho Community Green House Training Centre.
The lease agreement will also pave the way for the Council to access a $500,000 loan from a revolving pool of funds established under the Jamalco Entrepreneurship Project, to expand the operations of four of the greenhouses that will be operated by community groups for commercial farming.
Two of the greenhouses are being used for training local farmers in greenhouse technology.
Eight local farmers comprising seven women and one man are currently being trained at the centre by Jervis Rowe, the President of the Jamaica Greenhouse Growers Association, and have begun reaping sweet peppers planted in one of the greenhouses.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Leo Lambert, Corporate Services Manager of Jamalco, commended the committee members for their dedication in helping to restore the mined-out land to productive use.
Mr. Lambert said the greenhouse project is a critical component of Jamalco’s sustainability strategy and underscored the commitment that Jamalco has to ensuring that the project is successful.