Martin Brown (left), a farmer from Glasgow, upper Trelawny, is about to plant a Bitterdamson tree in his yam field, as part of a special project to lessen the threat to the forest, as many farmers continue to cut trees from the forest to use for supporting their yam vines. - Photo by Noel Thompson

WESTERN BUREAU:

It's early Monday morning and the meteorological office has extended a flash-flood warning for the entire island.

That, however, did not deter a team from Kingston from travelling along the winding and narrow roads to hand out over 1,300 yam saplings and cheques to several farmers in rural Trelawny.

Another team travelled from the western end of the island. Destination: a quaint little district of German origin called Auchtembeddie, in Trelawny.

The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the Forestry Department (FD) and the United States Agency for International Development, through its Protected Areas and Rural Enterprise (USAID/PARE) project, are working alongside Cockpit Country Local Forest Management Committees (LFMCs) to protect and restore Jamaica's forests, while ensuring that local communities are able to maintain or improve their livelihoods.

Poor agricultural practices

"Poor agricultural practices and uncontrolled development have contributed to a serious decline in the environmental resources. Deforestation, soil erosion, and pollution have led to reduced water quality and supply, decreased agricultural yields, and the loss of important wildlife," said Sacha Todd, science specialist.

Martin Brown, is one of 19 farmers who has benefited from the project. He is pioneering the use of 2,000 Bitterdamson plants on seven acres of land where he farms.

"It was a forestry warden who visited my farm regularly and introduced me to the project. When I first started planting the trees to support my yam, people in the district laughed at me and said I was mad. They said I would never live to see the trees mature. I proved them wrong. I am benefiting today, and I am laughing at them," Brown said.

Source of yam sticks

Dawnette Downer (third left), a farmer from Troy in upper Trelawny, signs a document in acceptance of a cheque to assist with hiring persons to help her plant trees in her yam field.

Noel Bennett, sociologist at the Forestry Department, points to the success of farmer Martin Brown, who has been championing this environmentally sustainable and cost-effective source of yam sticks.

TNC's project manager, Judith Blake, explained, "The Nature Conservancy aims to reduce the threat of agriculture to forest reserves by providing farmers with fast-growing native trees, which can be substituted for use as live yam sticks, or sold to other farmers."

"It's the life of the trees, the yam, and the people who are involved in this project that make it so important. In the last 15 years I have spent in conservation in Jamaica, I've never seen a project like this," said Carla Duhaney of USAID/PARE.

Farmers Trevor Dawkins (right) and Leon Green of Glasgow, Trelawny, put bananas and dumplings into a pot for guests and their colleagues, at a tree-planting exercise, as part of a project to curtail deforestation of the Cockpit Country in that area.