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The Small Farmer Inwestern Portland and Eastern St. Mary (Jamaica)

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The Small Farmer Inwestern Portland and Eastern St. Mary (Jamaica) THE SMALL FARMER IN WESTERN PORTLAND AND EASTERN ST. MARY (JAMAICA) BASES FOR AN INTEGRATED RRAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM Report of the Agriculture Sector Assessment team of the Offic_,- of International Cooperation and Development U.S. Department of Agriculture to USAID / JAMAICA and to the Ministry of Agriculture, Jamaica, Kingston, November 1978 The Small Farmer in Western Portland and Eastern St. Mary (Jamaica) Volume II TABLE OF CONTENTS page INTRODUCTION ........ ..................... i 1. THE TARGET AREA ..... ... ................... 1 1.1 Characteristics; Reasons for Selection ... ....... 1 1.2 Location of the Small Farmer ..... ............ 5 2. AGRICULTURE IN THE TARGET AREA .............. 2.1 2.Sal~am.......................... Small Farms 'C . .Prod.uc . .ion . .. .... 14141 2.2 Domestic Food Crop Production..... ... .. 14 2.3 Export Crops ..... .................... ... 15 - Bananas ..... ................... .... 21 - Coconuts ..... .................... ... 26 - Spices .... ....................... 29 3. PHY3ICAL ENVIRONMENT ..... ................ .. 31 3.1 Topographic Structure ... ............... .... 31 3.2 Climate ..... .... .................. .. 37 3.3 Rainfall Controls ..... .. ................. 38 3.4 Portland Soils ...... ................... 46 3.4.1 Characteristics ..... .. ................. 46 3.4.2 Erosion ..... ... ..................... 50 3.4.3 Soil Drainage ....... Typ . 53 3.4.4 Crop Recommendation by Soil Type ..... 56 3.5 Erosion Control Measures ... ................. 60 4. SMALL FARM RESOURCES AND PRODUCTION IN THE TARGET AREA 61 4.1 Physical Resources .... .................... 61 4.1.1 Land ..... ....................... .... 61 4.1.2 Water................................. .64 4.1.3 Equipment and Housing .... .............. ... 57 4.1.4 Inputs ...... ... ...................... 68 4.2 Land Use ...... ..................... ... 69 4.3 Human Resources ..... .... ............... 73 4.3.1 Family Labor ....... ................... 73 4.3.2 Hired Labor ...... .................. 75 4.4 Financial Resources ..... .. ................ 76 4.4.1 Family Sources .... .................. ... 76 4.4.2 Credit ...... ...................... ... 77 4.5 Prices and Costs ...... .. ........... ... 79 4.6 Resource Utilization on Typical Farms ... ....... 79 4.7 Production Potentials for Small Farmers by Major Crops ...... ............... ......... 92 page 5. PRODUCTION AND MARKETING CONSTRAINTS IN THE TARGET AREA ..... ................... .101 5.1 Introduction ...... ... .. .. ........ 101 5.2 Five Principal Constraints . ... ....... .. 101 5.3 Priority Among Constraints ... ............ .. 103 5.4 Constraints, Their Impact on Small Farms, and Action Needed to Reduce Them . .. ...... .105 6. RURAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND VILLAGE SERVICES .. ..... 123 6.1 Road Constraints and Recommended Improvements . T23 6.1.1 Regional Roads -and Interconnections ....... .. 123 6.1.2 Road Problems ..... ................. .. 126 6.1.3 Other Road Problems .... ............. .. 128 6.1.4 'Bridle Roads'........ ................ 132' 6.1.5 Paths and Roads ...... ............... 135 6.1.6 Role of Bridges ........ .............. 136 6.2 Community Services and Urban Hierarchy ........ 142 6.2.1 Trade Flows and Functional Areas ... ........ 142 6.2.2 Village Sameness at Low Level of Development . 144 6.2.3 Agglomeration of Village Services ... ....... 151 6.2.4 Market Towns and Agricultural Inputs ......... 158 6.2.5 Market Towns and Output Marketing ... ....... 161 7. BASES FOR AN INTEGRATED RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM IN THE TARGET AREA .... .... .............. .163 7.1 Development Strategy and Projects for the Target Area ...... .. ...................... 163 7.1.1 agricultural Potential by Enterprise .. .... 163 7.1.2 The Production System in a Modernizing Context . 166 7.1.3 Constraints in Relation to Production Opportunities . ... 1711.. 7.1.4 Current Programs and impact on Smali Farms in the Target Area ...... ............ 180 7.1.5 Strategy for a Program in the Target Area • . 188 7.2 Marketing, Market Towns and Agro-Industry . 198 7.2.1 Limitations of an Agro-Industry Base in the Target Area...198 7.2.2 Strategy for an Agro-industry'Program in Portland Parish ...... ................... .. 208 7.2.3 Market Towns ..... ................. 222 7.2.4 Jamaican Urban Centers and Spatial Arbitrage . 224 7.2.5 Port Antonio: Regional Center ... ........ 236 7.2.6 Land Assessment Data for Area Planning. ... 251 7.2.7 Education, Training and Economic Feasibility . 265 APPENDIX I..... ..................... .280 APPENDIX II ...... .................... 298 APPENDIX III ...... .................... .. 302 APPENDIX IV ....... .................... 314 I The Small Farmer in Western Portland and Eastern St. Mary (Jamaica) L I S T 0 F T A B L E S Thble No. page 1-1 Portland Parish vs. Jamaica: Rural Population, Farms Under -",n Acres, and Workers in Agriculture, 1968 3 1-2 Project La... Lease, Parish of Portland... .... 12 2-1 Agricultural Data for Fortlaid Parish by Constituency 16 2-2 Portland and Jamaica: Value of Prouuction of Domestic Crops 1977 ..... .... .......... 17 2-3 Portland: Acreage and Production of Domestic Food Crops 1975, 1976, and 1977 ........ ... .. 19 2-4 Food Crops Production, Parish of Portand .......... .20 2-5 Distribution of Banana Growers Registered for Spraying by Size, 1977 .22 2-6 Bananas: Volume aid Price of'Exports'and Average'Prices to Growers, 1965-1977 ..... ... .. ... .. 25 3-1 Portland Monthly znd Annual Rainfall Averages (1931-60) 39 3-2 Land Capability ....... ... .. .......... 48 3-3 Portland Soil Types, Area and Erosion Hazards . .. 52 3-4 Recommended Crops for Soils in Portland ... ....... 57 3-5 Recommended Cultivation/Conservation Practices . .. 59 4-1 Crop Yields per Ac-e by Parish, 1975-77 ..... .. 65 4-2 Estimated Acreages Reaped, 1977-78 Crop Year by Extension Area, Portland.. ..... ... 71 4-3 Quantity of Fertilizer Distributed by the Blue Mountain Coffee Cooperative......... .. .... 81 4-4 Average Farmgate Prices, Selected Food Crops 1974-77 . 82 4-5 Prices Paid by Farmcrs for Inputs, Portland Area . 83 4-6 Simplified Example of a Small Holding, Buff Bay Valley Medium Elevation. Resources, Production and Income. 85 4-7 Annual Cash Expenses and Net Cash Income, Buff Bay Small Holding ..... ... ... ........ 86 4-8 Labor Balance, Buff Bay Farm. Man-Days'... 87 4-9 Labor Requirement for a Buff Bay Farm, Half Cocos Planted Spring, Half Fall . .... ... ... .. 87 4-10 Example of a Small Holding, Rio Grande Valley, Low Elevations ..... ... ........ 89 4-11 Cash Expenses and Net Cash Income, Rio GrandeSmail * HoldingHoldig...............................0 .. .90 4-12 Labor Balance, Rio Grande F.91 4-13 Rio Grande, Typical Farm Labor Requirements, Usual Practices ....... ... ... .. ... ... 91 4-14 Portland: Estimated Potential Yields for Crops with Improved Practices on Small Farms ..... .. .. 93 4-15 Income, Expense and Labor Requirements on Example Small Farms, Present and Improved Practices in Two Areas ................. 97 4-16 Cash Flow on Example Farms. .............. 99 Table No. page 5-1 r The Five Principal Constraints to Production as Mentionea by Farmers by Size of Farms ­ Jamaica, 1978 ........................ 102 6-1 Community Infrastructure and Services in Portl.nd, 1978 ..... .... ...... ... 146 7-1 Principal Constraints and Suggested Courses of Action ...... ................... 164 7-2 Production Unit. Budget Allocations and Amount Spent or Committed 1977-78 by Purpose. Portland 181 7-3 Time-Phasing of Activities for a Development Program in the Target Area .... ......... 194 7-4 Professional Staff and Equipment ... ....... 195 7-5 Agro-Industries in Portland Parish ..... 200 7-6 Registered Cooperative and Pre-Cooperatives in Portland Parish ................ 204 7-7 Number of Members, Gross Sales and Percent of Bananas Rejected, Cooperatives in Portland Parish ........ ................... 205 7-8 Darlingford Banana Boxing Co-op: Location and Distance of 20 (of 208) Members from Boxing Plant and Method of Transport to Plant ... ...... 206 7-9 Price Differentials of Seven Commodities and Four­ teen Urban Centers Expressed as Standard Scores 229 7-10 Mean Standard Deviation and Coefficient of Varia­ tion of Standard Scores . .. .. 232 7-11 Table of Correlation Coefficients (r) between Nearest Neighbor Urban Centers ....... 233 7-12 Retail Prices of Selected Crops in Selected Markets, 1975 .... ........... .... 234 7-13 Minimum Requirements of Infrastructure and Ser­ vices of Regional, Sub-Regional and District Centers ....... ................... 238 7-14 Police and Homeguard Force, July, 1978 . 245 7-15 Ratio of Offenses Reported in a Year (1977-78) to Number of Police (July 1978) ..... ..... 246 7-16 Agricultural Larceny, April 1, 1977-March 31,1978 247 7-17 Producer Questionnaire .. ............ .. 271 7-18 Projected Cash Flow, Portland Blue Mountain Cooperative (Domestic Division: Fruits and Vegetables) .... .... ... ... ... 275 7-19 Pro Forma Statement of Operations of Vegetable Division of Portland Blue Mountain Cooperative 276 7-20 Pro Forma Balance Statement .... .......... 277 7-21 Debt Service .... .................... 278 7-22 Proposed Depreciation Schedule ............. 279 The Small Farmer in Western Portland and Eastern St. Mary (Jamaica) MA PS Map No. page 1 Portland Small Farms ....... .............. 7 2 Portland and Eastern St. Mary; Acreage in Pure Stand ...... ... ..................... 9 3 Portland: Population Distribution by Enumeration District .... .................... 4 Government-Spoqsored Land
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