FY 2016 Annual Report
Jamaica Sustainable Farm Enterprise Program
October 1, 2015 to September 30, 2016
Program Development Project Sub-Award NO: PDP 2014-1
Submitted to Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance Washington, DC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents Summary of Program Implementation...... 2 Impact and Accomplishments ...... 3 Collaboration...... 4 Challenges ...... 5 Plans for Year Three ...... 5
Volunteer Assignments/Scopes of Work………………………...... Annex Case Study: A Justification for Organic Agriculture..………………………………….Annex
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Summary of Program Implementation The Jamaica Sustainable Farm Enterprise program is focused on building local, ecologically based, disaster resistant organic food systems. Our goal is to develop market driven organic value chain production, certification, and distribution systems for agricultural products that will sustainably reduce food insecurity and poverty. Under the program small landholder farmers and existing producers are increasing their production and adopting Permaculture and Organic Farming (POF) systems. In FY16 we continued to build the program participation and fielded 19 volunteers for 230 volunteer days. Among the program accomplishments are: • Launched the Ujima Farmers Market – the first organic and natural farmers market in Kingston which sources the majority of its produce from JSFEP participants • Improved the organization and management of the market adding additional road signs and marketing. • Facilitated program participants travel to the United States for networking, fundraising, training, and technical assistance • Created Organic Strawberry Growers Group in the Blue Mountains that is benefiting from new cultivars from Florida • Provided areal mapping for host partners for planning and certification purposes • Through private donors acquired and fielded an 75HP tractor dedicated to organic host partners • Worked with government and private certifiers to establish a path for host certifications • Launched a Microloan fund to support host partners • Organized a Community Supported Agriculture program called Farm Box To Go • Engaged the Jamaican Diaspora for financial and organizational support • Organized host farmers into an Organic Onion Project at PGR Cooperative
Through these accomplishments and others word has spread on the results of the program and onboarding of farmers has increased to the point where we will discuss in November during a staff retreat and planning session how many new host participants can reasonably be serviced in the second half of the program. In FY15 we had upwards of 40 individual or farmer groups and in FY16 we added more than 60, a150 percent increase. This number represents individuals and cooperatives actively farming under the program and excludes broader organizations membership numbers. There is new emphasis to streamline the focus areas and crops with the aim to develop organic crop production manuals for four to six crops. Continuing to establish crop budgets and production plans in FY17 will create better results as we implement a distribution system that will service both the larger domestic and smaller local farmers markets. Criteria for accepting new host will be considered at the November retreat but is expected to include established farmers with both sufficient land and capital to maximize use of the organic dedicated tractor and who are willing to commit to the record keeping and other organic certification requirements. In addition, continued focus on increasing production to fill existing farmer’s market demand is being coupled with formalizing the distribution system for small farmers. Seeing believes in Jamaica and
2 beyond so establishment of a successful demonstration plot at PGR Cooperative is a priority for FY17.
The program is on budget but slightly below volunteer placement targets (36 of 40 volunteers.) Local transportation costs are higher than expected. The average number of days per volunteer in year two was 13.09 exceeding the total number of budgeted days per volunteer of 10.5 at an average direct cost per volunteer day of $208. In FY17, FAVACA has established a policy to cover repairs and regular maintenance on the two Source Farm Foundation partner vehicles being utilized for the program. This would be in addition to the existing reimbursement of mileage at the program established rate of .575 cents per mile. At the outset of this policy (October 1, 2016) both vehicles will have a “buyers check” or an assessment of their current condition and repair needs. Base on budget to actual costs through the end of FY16 FAVACA has budgeted up to $5,000 for repairs and maintenance over the remaining life of the project. This projection would be within the established budget and represent less than a 10% shift in budget line items.
Impact and Accomplishments The project placed 19 volunteers who donated 230 volunteer days and directly assisted 471 persons. The in-kind value of the volunteers’ time is $108,100. Volunteer consultants made 92 much more focused and measurable recommendations in year two resulting from guidance and lessons learned in the previous year. This is in line with the project’s perspective that hosts have trouble implementing and following through on large numbers of recommendations. This recognition has also led to greater emphasis going into FY17 being placed on volunteer assignments that focus on assisting hosts to implement existing recommendations. Return and follow up volunteers will help to monitor progress and identify feasible ways to implement their or others previous recommendations. For example: establishing cover crops, multi crop planting, and permaculture techniques in fields all of which are targeted to make the host farms more resistant to climate change and improve soil nutrients.
In FY15, the Organizational Development Index ratings were only captured for organizations and institutional partners and not for individual farmers. Following guidance from VEGA, FAVACA captured ODI ratings for all hosts to corrected this in FY16. However, there was enough time since the baselines were gathered to reflect any significant changes in the ODI number at the end of FY16. The program will continue to collect baseline ODI indicator data in FY17 for select partners and collect ODI impact data for FY 15 and FY16 hosts.
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Additionally, regarding baseline data collection the total number of family member beneficiaries for small hosts, such as individual families, was collected in FY15 as actual number of host family members rather than a calculation using a standard multiplier. Larger partners with greater number of clients and supplier’s calculation is used. Recognizing this monitoring and evaluation technique is not consistent and therefore not valid the program as moved to using the four family member’s multiplier established at the beginning of the program for all hosts. Finally, we are pleased to report $25,111.75 in Resources Leveraged by Grantee and Volunteers. This total includes: $25,000 annual contribution from the Singing for Change Foundation that supported a farmer microloan fund and purchase, delivery, and maintenance of a CASE Farmall 75 Horsepower tractor dedicated to organic production. The delivery of the tractor in April of 2016 has been a great incentive for host farmers and as it begins to be more fully utilized in FY17 we expect to see exciting results.
Collaboration The JSFEP program continues a positive collaboration with Peace Corps. In FY16 we provided irrigation and water management training for a group of Peace Corps environmental Volunteers. We also continued to host Peace Corps Volunteer Julia Dorn on site with Source Farm Foundation. Peace Corps Environmental Sector Coordinator Anika Smith also coordinates with the JSFE program staff to provide on Permaculture training to beneficiaries across the island.
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Challenges Climate change, staff support, data collection, and greater focus on implementation of volunteer recommendations have been identified as the key challenges in FY16. Both FAVACA’s Florida office and our Jamaica country office were impacted by hurricanes and severe weather in FY16. While there was no major damage, power outages impacted the program. An assessment of the effect of Hurricane Matthew on local host is still being completed. In addition, the pattern of drought and flood attributed to climate change continues to be a challenge for host farms.
JSFE program currently supports one part-time support person and we have found over the course of the program greater demand for data collection was needed. In year three, staying within existing budget and with the expectation that the fiscal impact between budget line items is well below 10%, the program will increase the level of compensation level by approximately two thirds for the administrative support position to reflect the higher level of professional needed and currently fulfilling this position. A-dZiko Simba has agreed to continue with the program in the expanded position.
As JSFEP builds a reputation and hosts begin to see impacts resulting from the technical assistance, trust is being built as well as interest in the program. We have been able to clearly communicate the programs objectives, types of assistance available, and establish strong relationships built on shared goals and trust. However, a significant challenge we have found is that partners’ baseline numbers for annual gross sales and net income were higher than at the point of host impact assessment, in some cases significantly. This inaccuracy has been attributed to lack of host records to capture their actual gross sales and net income and secondly, a hesitancy to accurately share their personal or business information with the program.
Resulting from JSFEP technical assistance and support in developing crop budgets and aided by the trust built in the last two years; more accurate numbers, though lower than expected, are being reported.
Finally, implementation of volunteer recommendations requires significant host time, additional volunteer technical assistance, and often financial resources. In FY17, return and new volunteers will work to help hosts implement program recommendations before making new ones, assess barriers to implementation, and identify what financial restraints or solutions are needed to advance the hosts’ goals.
Plans for Year Three Our efforts in year three will focus on implementation and building sustainability beyond the life of the grant. The first two years have helped define what is reasonable to accomplish, and we will be focusing on recruiting volunteers for technical assistance that helps implement recommendations from previous volunteers.
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Production
Our training programs and consistent high quality volunteer support has attracted enough producers to begin focusing on developing specific crop protocols and budgets. The protocols will define the organic production inputs and activities and the budget will outline the expense and income projections. The farmers that the project works with have identified a need for developing protocols and budgets for the following crops:
• Onion • Sweet potato • Strawberry • Scotch Bonnet pepper • Mushrooms • Poultry • Diary • Herbs • Fruit
Education
The One One Coco Natural Farmer Course (OOC) for 2015-2016 was shifted from a one month intensive format to a one-two weekend per month schedule for a one year cycle. This change was suggested by the team to facilitate participants who could not afford the course fee of $600.00 USD as well as did not have the capacity to devote one month to an intensive training program.
This shift in format has had its successes and challenges. One weekend per month has allowed the participants the ability to participate while maintaining their other income generating activities. It has allowed for an older cohort of students. However, the challenge of this format is that one weekend per month does not give enough time for practical demonstration and practice. The current cohort of students numbers 8-12. They will complete 12 months of training in January 2017 and graduate into the second phase of the program which requires students to implement what they have learned over the cycle of training.
During 2016-2017 we will continue to offer OOC training under the weekend format but in addition, will also offer two month-long intensive training courses. The two intensive courses will be sponsored by the Jamaica Diaspora Education Task Force. (JDETF). The addition of the intensive courses will allow younger farmers to participate as those suitably qualified will be offered a scholarship funded by JDETF. The OOC intensive courses are scheduled to take place in January and August 2017. We will continue to use many of our volunteers for the weekend format trainings.
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Certification
The development of government lead certification systems in Jamaica continues to develop and it is not clear exactly how things will shake out. There are bursts of enthusiasm but funding is a primary challenge for the government to institute a country wide system. However, it is important to clarify that the JSFE program is working to assist and empower our participants along the path to certification as the process can be multi-year and extend beyond the life of the JSFE program. Our project is not hampered by the lack of a Government of Jamaica certification system as we will utilize a certifier from outside the country, and we have begun discussions with Quality Certification Services in Gainesville, Florida. Funding positions to manage these activities is a challenge for us as well, but the primary technical assistance goals for the third year are: • Solidify the development of the grower group centering on the PGR farmers and Ujima market vendors. • Continue to develop the Internal Control System (ICS) and prepare the grower group for certification.
Specifically, JSFE is working on two fronts to insure that the growers we work with have a viable option for certifying their operations: • Focus on preparing the growers and their grower group for certification by a certifier located in or outside the country • Provide general guidance for parties inside Jamaica who wish to develop a domestic organic certification system.
Distribution
The distribution component of JSFEP for 2016-2017 will play a vital role in the success of the program. The JSFEP will continue to develop the Ujima Natural Farmers Market into a weekly market as well as establish a new market in Portmore, St. Catherine.
The Ujima Farm Box to Go is a new product being offered to corporate and government employees that allows for twice weekly delivery of produce, fruits, prepared salads and other value added products. The addition of Farm Box to Go will encourage the grower group to implement a well-organized marketing and distribution system. It will be vital for JSFEP to establish internal controls, accounting systems and protocols as well as proper linkages with farmers. Volunteers will be recruited to assist with technology that will be employed in marketing, tracking and organizing distribution. The program will be seeking to purchase a van and a refrigerated truck. The van will be used for bi-weekly deliveries and the truck will be used for collections from farmers and customer delivery as well as being used for transporting items to the farmers market.
Organizational Development
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Source Farm Foundation has made significant progress in organizing and managing the many activities that it is involved with. The greatest challenge is finding the funding to hire staff to implement all of the great recommendations we receive from our volunteers. The organization needs to build additional capacity to be able to fend for itself once the grant is over. To this end, we will be seeking technical assistance volunteers in year three in the following areas:
• Social media and marketing platform • Fundraising • Accounting
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Jamaica Sustainable Farm Enterprise Program Volunteer Summaries ANNEX October 1, 2105 – September 30, 2016
LEON GODWIN
The JSFE project recruited Leon Godwin to develop a short documentary film in which organic farmers in Jamaica take center stage. The goal was to use the film to promote awareness of the project and the expanding movement for clean food on the island, garner political interest and support, and encourage understanding of what organic can do for the public and how it protects the environment. Though the organic sector is small in the context of the entire country, the overall attitude toward health and ‘natural’ foods in Jamaica indicates that the market could expand well if the public was more educated on the benefits of organic produce and it was more available in the market. This attitude is shared by the farmers involved in the project, although they continue to struggle with the lack of availability of organic inputs, drought, and transportation problems that make it difficult for them to get their produce to market. The establishment of the Ujima Market in New Kingston is a great example of economic development and sustainability of organic farming in Jamaican, creating opportunities for farmers and consumers to directly connect with each other. Mr. Godwin’s film did a great job of capturing the spirit of the project and has already been used to increase awareness about the project.
Short Promotional Video Link: https://player.vimeo.com/video/149601263 Full Length Video Link: https://youtu.be/eVivbLOyn9I
RON JUFTES
Ron Juftes was recruited to train farmers, input suppliers, and agricultural educators in the need for organic inputs for specific crops while also examining methods to increase the availability of organic inputs in Jamaica. Juftes worked with JSFE staff to develop input guidelines for 12 priority crops and met with input providers to develop strategies for increasing organic input supply. He worked with faculty at University of the West Indies (UWI), College of Agriculture Sciences and Education (CASE), Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), and Rural Agriculture Development Authority (RADA) to share input expertise and develop training guidelines. Lack of organic inputs has been a challenge for farmers transitioning into organic production. Increase in organic inputs facilitates the transition from conventional production and increases the commitment of farmers when they have ready access to the inputs organic certifiers require.
CARLENE CHASE
In December 2015, strawberry production specialist Dr. Carlene A. Chase supported farms located in Content Gap (St. Andrew) in the Blue Mountains and farms in Manchester. These farms utilize hydroponic systems with either growbags containing coconut coir or PVC pipe gullies containing washed sand, with manure tea and mineral fertilizers, respectively. They were not using less costly “in ground” organic strawberry production methods, thus increasing
2 their cost of production un-necessarily. Two key Ministry of Agriculture staff members, Dr. Lisa Myers-Morgan and Dr. Don McGlashan, were also consulted regarding strawberry production in Jamaica and cover crops for such systems, one of Dr. Chase’s specialties. Collaboration with University of the West Indies (UWI) scientist, Dr. Dwight Robinson, is proposed as a means of collecting data to evaluate the utility of the Florida cultivars for Jamaica’s growing conditions. FAVACA has scheduled a follow up volunteer assignment for Dr. Chase in August-September, 2016 to provide follow up technical support to JSFEP client farmers and Jamaican Ministry of Agriculture and UWI staff in organic strawberry production systems for the tropics. We are hopeful that this work will have a very positive long term effect on organic strawberry farming livelihoods for Jamaican small farmers in the higher elevation farming communities.
JIM LETENDRE
Specific crop production sustainability is a major challenge. The tomato farmers in Jamaica are facing some serious disease and insect problems. It is becoming hard for conventional farmers and almost impossible for those practicing sustainable, organic agriculture to produce marketable tomatoes under current conditions. On his visits to the farms as a Farmer to Farmer Volunteer, Jim LeTendre observed pests and diseases responsible for severe damage and loss to tomato crops and are limiting sustainable, organic tomato production in Jamaica. Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus (TYLCV) stops fruit production in almost all tomato varieties and moves through the crop quite quickly, wiping out production. Mr. LeTendre instructed the farmers and shared some insect control strategies to help deal with these very pressing issues. He was also able to identify the deadly TYLC Virus and help the farmers take immediate action to mitigate the issue. The biggest contribution made in this mission was the initiation of instruction and discussion on the use of beneficial insects to control insect pests. Beneficial insects are those that attack pest insects, reducing the need for pesticide use. This pest control strategy will help the farmers achieve better management of pest issues in a sustainable manner enabling better production of organic tomatoes.
BOBBY SULLIVAN
It has been important to support our early successes in organizing an initial cadre of organic farmers who are direct marketing their produce and products through their market sales at Ujima Farmers Market. The UFM has been operating long enough that additional timely logistical and organizational volunteer assignment support is needed to continue to improve and expand the market development and organizational opportunities as well as to improve the quality of the produce marketed. In February 2016, Bobby Sullivan, an experienced produce and cooperative grocery store manager, assisted client farmers participating in the Source Farm Foundation (SFF) sponsored Ujima farmers market (UFM) in Kingston to develop effective post- harvest handling for their perishable vegetable product. He also worked with the UFM group to support their moving toward a multi-stakeholder co-operative business model. Other objectives
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were to help take the Ujima Farmers Market’s business organization to the next level, identify, evaluate, and prioritize the possible business opportunities that exist to market and distribute produce and other organic products both into untapped local markets and for future export, and establish priorities, train farmers in post-harvest processing to improve the quality of their vegetables at market, and to assess the feasibility of retail ventures that would expand the organic market of the island. Specifically, Mr. Sullivan also worked with Nicola Shirley-Phillips on the planning details for improving organic produce distribution logistics from farm to market and farm to consumer, and the enterprise potential therein. Mr. Sullivan’s trip was highly focused and has resulted in a series of organizational recommendations to client farmers, UFM stakeholders and Source Farm Foundation/JSFEP staff that are well documented in his volunteer report.
JIM FOSTER
The JSFEP program transitioned One One Coco (OOCoco) trainings from a month long intensive to a year-long curriculum with one workshop per month. The change was made to better accommodate the schedule of the students. While some students are launching a new career in farming many have existing farm sites to maintain or other occupational obligations. In March of 2016, training assistance focused on for small farm business planning. Jim Foster, a JSFEP program volunteer, provided business and entrepreneurial training and expertise to help OOCoco farming students and local organic farmers with farm business planning and to assist students in tracking their business income and expenditures. He also addressed entrepreneurial and business strategies for wealth creation and sustainable financial planning. Mr. Foster created a monthly template to aid the participants in a step by step plan to collecting crop and business data and developing a business plan over the length of the course. He will be additionally volunteering his time in 2016 to these students to evaluate their progress and support them in developing their specific business plans over the course of the 2016 OOCoco program.
JIM RIDDLE and JOYCE FORD
Return volunteers, Jim Ford and Joyce Riddle, continued their assistance for developing group organic certification systems. JSFE project’s first repeat volunteers Ford and Riddle provided trainings on organic certification systems and inspections with staff from the National Certification Body of Jamaica and Bureau of Standards. The participants were able to clearly identify the next steps in re-establishing organic certification on the island. Ford and Riddle also worked with The Source Farm Foundation (SFF) staff to move forward on implementing a group certification system, which will provide a cost-effective organic certification system for small- scale organic farmers. The primary focus was establishing an Internal Control System (ICS), which is required for organic certification of a grower group.
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JEREMIAH KIDD
The JSFEP has learned over its first year of programming that the majority of small Jamaican farmers are challenged with physical farm planning on the landscapes in their care. Their current practices are unsustainable for the land and for the farmer’s long term wellbeing. JSFEP’s OOCoco farm school is addressing this challenge through its trainings in Permaculture land use and farming practices, soil and water management, agroforestry, and steep lands management. OOCoco program graduates also need ongoing technical support to improve their farming ventures. Jeremiah Kidd, the director of San Isidro Permaculture, Santa Fe, NM, a previous volunteer JSFEP and OOCoco permaculture teacher and experienced permaculture teacher and practitioner, was selected to teach and provide technical support from April 13-26, 2016 at OOCoco farm school in St. Thomas Parish Jamaica and to school graduates in nearby parishes. Jeremiah’s volunteer assignment was of excellent quality as he was able to build on previous experience with Jamaican educational challenges and learning styles. His students developed land use plans for their farm sites and learned basic agroforestry, soil and water management, and climate resilient Permaculture farming strategies. Jeremiah also consulted on site with five OOCoco student farmers. While the training and consulting was excellent, the number of students was disappointing. There is a capacity to train larger numbers of farmers through OOCoco classes.
JIM RIDDLE and JOYCE FORD
Organic Certification Dynamic Duo - Jim Riddle and Joyce Ford are two of the most respected people in the organic movement in the US. They have a combined 60+ years of experience in developing the foundation of integrity that the movement is built on, organic certification and inspection. The Jamaica Sustainable Farm Enterprise Project (JSFEP) has been blessed to have them make a real commitment to our project as evidenced by their March 2016 second volunteer assignments. This trip focused on moving Jamaica towards a functional organic certification system that meets the needs of both small scale local producers and farmers seeking international markets. They worked with staff and representatives of the Bureau of Standards, National Certification Body of Jamaica (NCBJ), and the Jamaica Organic Agriculture Movement to provide a deep sensitization on organic infrastructure, organic regulations, organic labeling requirements, inspection, and group certification systems. NCBJ and Bureau of Standards staff came away feeling optimistic about what they need to do to move forward. They also worked with organic growers in St. Thomas to clarify the process and timeline for developing a grower group. Farmers in this group can apply for organic certification as a group to reduce the paperwork and cost burdens on the individual farmers.
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ZAID HAYNES
Zaid Haynes helped local several local partners explore the establishment of a Bokashi manufacturing system. In conjunction with Golden Grove Sugar Estate and PGR Agro Park farmers are working to produce Bokashi as a soil fertility product to assist in repairing the lands and adding an affordable source of fertility at the Agro Park. Golden Grove Sugar Estate is a sugar plantation located adjacent to the Plantain Garden River Agro Park. The Agro Park farmers are being organized by our project to produce organic crops on land that is certifiable in the Agro Park. Zaid Hayes has 10 years of experience working in the field of soil fertility and developing Bokashi composting systems using EM (Effective Microorganisms) for large scale production. He has taught across the education spectrum (age, educational level and gender) and has the experience in establishing a production site for Bokashi compost using EM. Haynes also visited with individual farmers to teach them about composting as well as the use of EM and Bokashi on their farm and plants.
DALE HENDRICKS
Jamaican small and organic farmers are challenged in accessing the appropriate seed, seedlings, and herbaceous plants grown from cuttings for their farming enterprises. These is a big need for skill building among organic farmers in basic horticultural production practices for the on-farm production of the seedlings and plants needed for on farm crops and for sale to others. There is also a need for tropical farmers to learn to build stable carbon in their soils through the sustainable production and use of biochar to increase their soils nutrient holding capacity. To address this challenge, OOCoco farm school invited Dale Hendricks, owner of Green Light Plants, Landenberg, PA, an experienced nurseryman and horticulturist, with experience in Permaculture and biochar production, to teach basic horticulture, plant production and propagation, and biochar production and use to its students and farmers. Dale conducted two weekend trainings for OOCoco students, conducted one farm site visit and visited with administration, students, and faculty at CASE, Jamaica’s agricultural college, and gave a lecture on biochar and building soil carbon at CASE. His volunteer assignment not only expanded the skill sets of OOCoco students and farmers in the horticultural arts, it also introduced to Jamaica a potentially game changing solution to soil building in tropical soils, namely sustainable and regenerative agricultural uses for biochar.
IRA WALLACE
The organic movement in Jamaica is at once both poised to move forward with a growing consumer interest in organic and sustainably grown foods especially in urban and tourist areas and constrained by high prices and limited availability for seeds and other inputs.” states Ira Wallace of Southern Exposure Seed Exchange in Louisa, VA. “Sourcing high quality organic seeds, with needed disease resistances appropriate for organic growing conditions here in
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Jamaica is a continuing frustration for organic farmers.” Wallace’s thirteen day assignment focused on practical skills training for farmers and gardeners in seed saving and variety trialing as well as evaluating the resources available at Bodles Research Center for supporting access to organic seed on the island. She encouraged everyone to cooperate on “well done organic variety trials and producing seed on farms to support maintaining genetic diversity, building resilience into farm plans and supporting farmer independence.”
OLIVER MOORE
Due to historic droughts from 2013-2015 to torrential tropical storm systems dumping too much water too fast and flooding or water logging agricultural fields. Designing tree crops and cropping diversity into annual production systems where practical or possible is one of our best strategies for creating models for climate resilient sustainable organic enterprises. Mr. Moore fulfilled two scopes of work:
VF-32: Assess Jamaica’s useful tree nursery production and support scion wood exchange. He worked with the Jamaican Ministry of Agriculture’s Orange River Research Station, Jamaican plant nurseries, and JSFEP/SFF to assess current fruit tree nursery production and the availability of agriculturally useful perennial plants and planting stock for Jamaican farmers.
VF-33: Trained OOCoco students in fruit tree propagation, establishment, and cultivation. The volunteer also provided consultative site visits to Jamaican landowners interested in developing tree cropping systems
Oliver Moore is a permaculture gardener based in Gainesville, Florida, where he is deeply committed to teaching and sharing skills related to community food production.
MARC WILLIAMS
The purpose of this assignment is to introduce new techniques for training farmers via innovations in technology transfer and management. Ethnobotanists aim to document, describe and explain complex relationships between cultures and (uses of) plants, focusing primarily on how plants are used, managed and perceived across human societies. Mr. Williams was able to help improve the organic herbal product production practices of Jamaican farmers and medicinal and culinary herb growers through education and technical support.
CAROL PEPPE HEWITT
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Alternative Community Based Funding Strategies - The staff at JSFE have identified access to funding as a major barrier to successful farming. The farmers they work with need capital to buy seeds, fertilizer, and equipment and they often don’t have the track record or collateral that is required under traditional lending models. Carol Peppe-Hewitt has been a leader in developing peer to peer community based lending programs that support local farm and food businesses in North Carolina, and she brought her expertise to Jamaica in late July, 2016. She gave workshops to farmers both one on one and in group settings and helped them understand how to develop good proposals. She met with potential lenders and explained how to work with farmers and laid the foundation for establishing a similar system in Jamaica. Her experience was so encouraging, she has already committed to a return visit in early 2017 to continue supporting the effort.
RELINDA WALKER
Relinda Walker helped farmers to produce organic onions for the Jamaican market. The Ministry of Agriculture is providing resources to help farmers grow onions for the domestic market to offset imports. Walker developed a crop protocol for production of organic onions and trained local farmers on implementation. Growers were trained on and left with clear information on how to produce organic onions for the domestic market. She focused on: crop nutrition and suggested rotation, insect and disease management, and post-harvest curing and storage.
CARLINE CHASE
The Jamaican Government is seeking to create a strawberry growers group as well as aid existing organic farmers who are growing strawberries in the Blue Mountain and Manchester area of Jamaica. There is a great demand for strawberries and organic strawberries on the island from chefs and hotel purchasing officers as well as regular consumers. The farmers are having challenges with selecting varieties, dealing with pest and disease issues, and the general growing challenges farmers face when growing new crops. Dr. Chase was able to assist farmers in resolving their horticultural challenges and scaling up their production systems.
CHIP HOPE
Chip Hope introduced new techniques for training farmers via innovations in technology transfer and management. He taught OOCoco students and client farmers herb growing production systems, post-harvest processing for culinary and medicinal herbs, and herbal product making. Hope provided technical site consultation and trained on organic medicinal and culinary herb production and processing.
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F2F Semi-Annual and Annual Report PERSUAP Compliance Annex
I. PERSUAP Implementation Experience – F2F Assignments:
Over the period covered by this report, the project has had experience in implementing the F2F PERSUAP, as reflected in the PERSUAP table below. This table lists all Type 1, 2, and relevant Type 4 volunteer SOWs that have been completed during the reporting period. Summaries of the volunteer assignment with a general description of activities with pesticides, key findings and recommendations on limitations/successes of F2F PERSUAP, and any recommendations to F2F for additional support needed to improve pest and pesticide management practices are found in the attachment summarizing volunteer assignments during the reporting period. All assignments not listed in this table are Type 3 assignments or Type 4 assignments that fall within the Type 3 category.
PERSUAP Reporting Table Work Directly Training Training with USAID Syllabus Sent Attended Mission or to F2F AOR/ Assignment PERSUAP by Volunteer Country F2F Mission- Mission (Trip) Country Assignment USAID Name Project funded Environmental Number Type (Type 1) Project (Type Officer (Type – Check 4) – Check for 1) – Check for for Yes Yes Yes VF-29 Dale Jamaica Organic II Hendrick Production, Certification, and Distribution Program VF-37 Chip Jamaica Organic II Hope Production, Certification, and Distribution Program VF-25 James Jamaica Organic II LeTendre Production, Certification, and Distribution Program Counts:
Regional program, country program, or country project area assignments or SOWs in IPM and pesticide safer use: The following volunteer SOWs in IPM and pesticide safer use were undertaken for the F2F regional program, country program, or country project area as a whole. These differ from the individual assignments addressing pesticide use with specific hosts, which should be included in the table above.
(none or list)
Needs for a PERSUAP amendment: The following needs for a PERSUAP amendment to add pesticides were identified during the reporting period.
(None or list)
II. Certifications of assignment and office compliance with PERSUAP guidelines:
A. PERSUAP Compliance – F2F Assignments This certifies that all volunteers have received the F2F Environmental Brochure. For all PERSUAP Type 1, 2 and relevant Type 4 SOWs, and further certifies the following have been provided to and developed by the relevant volunteers:
Type 1 SOWs2 Type 2 SOWs2 Provided to · F2F PERSUAP with Attachments A - H · F2F PERSUAP with Attachments Volunteer · SUAP briefing with F2F field staff B, C, F, H · Implementing Partner F2F PERSUAP Questionnaire · SUAP briefing with F2F field staff · List of any IPM practices and any tools, forms, protocols, · Implementing Partner F2F plans from previous volunteers PERSUAP Questionnaire · Host country list of approved pesticides · List of IPM practices from previous volunteers · Approved pesticide list from any other applicable PERSUAPs
Developed/ · Syllabus for training event · Limitations/successes of F2F Provided by · Material Safety Data Sheets (filed in field office) PERSUAP Volunteer · Any pesticides that the F2F program should be able to · Recommendations for additional recommend/use which are included on an approved list support on pesticide · Limitations/successes of F2F PERSUAP management practices · Recommendations for additional support on pesticide · Recommendations/feedback on management practices local IPM practices · Recommendations/feedback on local IPM practices · Highly Toxic Pesticides (Attachment E)/poor pesticide practices witnessed · Tools, forms, protocols, plans for implementation of pesticide-related recommendations
B. PERSUAP Compliance – F2F Offices This certifies that all F2F staff have reviewed the F2F Environmental Brochure for staff the fiscal year and that the following have been updated and kept on file:
Home Office Field Office Documents · F2F Environmental Brochure for staff Updated · F2F Environmental · PERSUAP with Attachments A-I and on File Brochure for staff · PERSUAP with · USAID Mission- or sector-wide PERSUAP(s) for relevant Attachments A-I country/sector · Any USAID Mission- or · Host country list of approved pesticides3 sector-wide · Implementing partner F2F PERSUAP Questionnaire, with any PERSUAP(s) for volunteer additions relevant country/sector · Material Safety Data Sheets for relevant pesticides4 · Tools, forms, protocols, plans developed by volunteers
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JSFEP Organic Justification Report: Economic Implications
Overview by Vanessa Kompothecras
Organic Agriculture and the Sustainable Future:
Sustainability is the goal of the future. Recent concerns about climate change,
environmental degradation, and potentially problematic health impacts of conventionally grown
produce have accelerated the growth of the global organic market with unprecedented vigor. The overall increasing public awareness of environmental and health issues coupled with the publicity of events such as the Paris Global Warming Summit of 2015 and food safety scandals in Asia have resulted in hyper awareness of sustainability and health concerns that potentially can result in expanding the already double digit annual growth of the organic market consumer
demand.
According to the Forschungsinstitut für Biologischen Landbau’s (FiBL) and the
International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements’ (IFOAM) collaborative organic world trend reports: The World of Organic Agriculture, for 2016, global sales of organic food and drinks increased from approximately 20 billion US dollars annually in 2000 to 72 billion US dollars in 2013, to 80 billion US dollars in 2014, resulting in a fivefold increase in revenue between 1999 and 2014 (FiBl 2015-2016). Sales of organic food and drinks reached 38.5 billion
US dollars in 2014 in North America, currently the region with the largest consumer market. In
Europe, which has the second largest organic market on the globe, sales in 2014 reached 35 billion US dollars. While combined Asia, Australia, and other regions consumed 6.5 billion dollars worth of organic foods and drinks in 2014. 2
Global Organic Production and Consumption Trends
Currently, the North American and European markets account for 90% of organic sales.
The United States is the largest market with sales of 29 billion US dollars in 2014. Second largest market is the European Union with sales a little over 26 billion US dollars with Germany generating a large part of the revenue with the largest organic market in the EU (US$11.4 billion), followed by China’s 4 billion dollar market (FiBl 2016). Countries with the largest consumption of organic produce per capita are also predominately European, the top five are:
Switzerland, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden, and Liechtenstein. In the Western markets most of the sales profits are attributed to supermarket chains that are either incorporating organic produce in their inventories or are exclusively organic. Germany has the fasted growing number of organic supermarkets, approximately 50 new stores each year (FiBl 2016).
3
In 2014, Asia had the third largest organic market in the world with China leading in
production and importation of organic produce but lagging in exports. China’s organic
production is predominately consumed domestically and some relate its expansion and
popularity to a number of food scandals the country has suffered in relation to improperly grown
or processed conventional produce (Sahota, 2016). Other countries in the region, including
Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea have growing but import dependent organic markets.
According to the USDA and the Organic Trade Association, in the case of Japan, organic
imports from the US exceeded 13 million US dollars in 2012. However, markets in Japan and
South Korea are still in early development with no significant supermarket chains that cater specifically to organic customers; this is expected to change as the organic and clean food movements continue to gain momentum in these countries (OTA 2014).
Beyond the global indicators, country specific reports like the USDA sponsored Whole
Foods Market organic and non-NGO market development data for 2015 indicate a 77% sales growth of organic products in the US between the years 2010-2014 (Schweizer 2015).
Furthermore, as shown above, the consumption of organic foods and drinks has skyrocketed in
Europe. The FiBL and IFOAM report show that the top five countries with the highest per capita consumption of organic products for 2014 were all European, with Switzerland leading the trend.
The concern of food safety has also sparked a rapid movement toward organic and clean foods in
Asia where according to the United Nations and IFOAM report of 2012, food safety in production, handling, and distribution have become paramount concerns for consumers that have increased the organic and clean food demand exponentially.
4
Feeding this rapid increase in demand for organic is the mainstream appeal and
recognition of “eating organic” or “clean foods” movements that have become so prevalent in
North America, Europe, and more recently in Asia. Health and sustainability concerns coupled with ideologies like “ethical consumption” (Johnston et al. 2011) continue to fuel demand. The continued success of “clean foods” movements is highlighted by the USDA: “Consumer demand for organically produced goods continues to show double-digit growth, providing market incentives for U.S. farmers across a broad range of products. Organic products are now available in nearly 20,000 natural food stores and nearly 3 out of 4 conventional grocery stores.” (USDA
2014). In fact, consumer demand for organic produce in Western and now also Asian markets is increasing at such a pace that it has been a continual challenge for producers to keep up resulting in a commodity price increase that attracts farmers into organic production ventures.
It should be noted that while their consumer markers remain relatively small, Africa,
Australia, and Latin America have become important producers of many organic foods, including staples such as coffee, cocoa, and bananas. The production is minimally consumed in the regions especially in the case of Africa and Latin America, which are the two major exporters of organic produce. Areas in Africa, Asia, and Latin America alone make up more than three-
quarters of producers worldwide (FiBl, 2016). This growth presents developing regions globally
and Latin America specifically with the opportunity to expand into this new market space,
especially as demand for organic produce: dairy, fruits, vegetables, and meat in places like the
US, Canada, Europe, and Japan has consistently surpassed current supply.
This market shortage that creates such demand means that many predominately
agricultural economies in developing countries have the potential to spearhead the movement
towards sustainable organic small-shareholder farming. According to the FiBL’s and IFOAM’s 5 most current data, there are currently 2.3 million organic producers in the world, more than three-quarters of them located in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
The country with the most organic producers is India, followed by Uganda and Mexico. In fact, many developing countries have taken the initiative to promote organic farming and make the organic export market their own as indicated in the following table of the ten countries with the highest number of organic producers:
6
Uganda is a particularly interesting example as the territory of the state would not have indicated it as a nation with one of the highest number of organic producers. Yet, Uganda has the largest per capita agricultural area devoted to organic farming and the largest numbers of producers in the African continent. Other examples of states not indicated above that are making a concentrated effort to increase organic production by small stakeholders farms and large scale produces include countries like the Dominican Republic, the foremost exporter of organic bananas in the region for almost twenty years, and Honduras where support for small organic farmers is increasing and has gained governmental interest, as well as Jamaica. However, there are numerous challenges that many NGOs and government sponsored organic projects are struggling with as the market expands.
Overall, all geographic regions with the notable exception of Latin America reported an increase in agricultural land and production between 2013 and 2014. The decrease of organic agricultural land use in Latin America is caused by a decrease of organic land use in Argentina specifically and has not impacted the other states in the region. However, despite the continued expansion of the market, the sustainable economic benefits of organic production for small farm stakeholders continues to generate debate. Many consider that the cost of producing organic and the difficulty small stakeholder farms have producing large quantities for exportation make organic production an unsustainable venture for such farmers, particularly in developing nations that do not provide subsidies for farmers. There is merit in considering the difficulties that farmers in developing countries encounter when they enter the organic market as this report indicates further on. However, there are notable advantages in organic production for these farmers not only in the economic sphere but also in the sphere of public health. 7
Notwithstanding the positive trend for economic growth of these regions through
exporting, the fact that organic products are least accessible to some of the regions that produce
the most of it is a cause for concern because it underscores the potential problems with a
dichotomy between develop states who consume “clean” foods and developing states and
populations that consume “conventional” foods. The central problem faced by countries that venture into organic production are suggested by the data presented above, most notably the
development of a divide between develop-organic-consumer states and developing-organic- producing states. This additional North-South, develop-developing, chasm conjoins with other
persistent issues such as poverty, health, access to education, and technology. This divide means
that some of the largest producers of organic foods are barred from the consumer market; simply
stated, they cannot afford to eat the foods they produce. The questions is not whether organic
production is sustainable, as shown above there is an ever increasing demand for “clean” foods
and drinks. The issue that is most concerning is the distribution of these “clean” foods which are
overwhelmingly produced in developing countries and consumed in developed countries. The
question that concerns many local governments and NGOs that work in developing countries is
how can we provide access to organic produce to those that produce it?
The structure that is developing currently in the organic market is creating extractionist
systems in developing countries which export varieties of clean foods, but have not the capability
of providing these foods to their own populations, even when there is a clear interest for such a
market locally. Such a development in the organic farming export system is indicative of other
problems in inequality of standards of living that should not persists. This report recognizes
some of the problems that producers, large corporations and small stakeholders, face in regions
of Latin America and the Caribbean that impedes them from developing sustainable internal 8
markets for organic produce as well as continuing their export ventures. The major issues
considered further on are: market sustainability, farmers switching from conventional to organic
production, lack of organic inputs, training, organic certification, and market space.
Market Sustainability
Despite the organic food’s market share increase in the past decades, the question of
whether farmers benefit when switching from conventional farming methods to organic is one
that has not been completely resolved. Studies of organic farming, including Maryland (Abdul-
Baki et al., 1996), Kansas (Diebel et al., 1993), South Dakota (Smolik et al., 1993; 1995), and
California (Drinkwater et al., 1995) concluded that there is no notable difference in
agroeconomic benefits between conventional growers and organic growers. This studies
conclude that as a whole, organic farming can be competitive and economically viable for
farmers. However, other studies, (Pimentel et al., 1993; Sellen et al., 1995; Nelson and King
1996) have found that reliance only on organic, low input farming for certain crops, particularly
vegetables and fruits, can result in substantial reductions of crop yields and profits (Clark et
al.,1999). The loss of profit can be particularly strenuous when farmers begin to switch into
organic farming as yields tend to decrease. The decrease in yields, however, can be controlled
and mitigated through effective financial planning and governmental or NGO support during the
transition period. Another consideration in favor is that the price increase of organic produce
tends to balance the loss of yield that farmers might face when switching. Beyond economic benefits, other positive impacts of organic technologies are significant and measurable: “in
higher levels of soil organic matter and nitrogen, lower fossil energy inputs, yields similar to
those of conventional systems, and conservation of soil moisture and water resources (especially 9
advantageous under drought conditions)” as well as decrease need for machinery used in
conventional farming (Pimentel et al., 2005).
To further consider the economic sustainability of organic farming, we examined multiple examples and here present a three year study conducted by the Department of
Agronomy and Horticulture of Iowa State University which compared the cost of production, yield, and net returns for conventionally grown corn and soy bean and organically grown corn and soy bean. The study found that in the categories of farm labor, machinery used, chemical inputs, and pesticides, organic farming accrued much lower costs that conventional farming:
“Average production costs for the conventional C-Sb rotation were $33/acre higher than the organic C-Sb-O rotation ($163/acre versus $130/acre)” (Delate et al. 2003).
On the other hand, the study also indicated that organic seeds are more expensive than conventional seeds and that composting is more costly for organic farms than for conventional
farms. However the premium prices of organic balanced the difference making organic
production not only competitive but an attractive option for farmers that want to reduce their
initial investments on chemical inputs each season and access the higher priced market of
organics. Ultimately the results clearly support the viability of organic and its potential for
liberating farmers from financial dependency on loans to access the chemical inputs they require
for conventional growing: “Returns for Corn within the organic C-Sb-O and C-Sb-O-A rotations were not significantly different $264/acre and $272/acre respectively. Both returns were significantly higher than the conventional C-Sb rotation $51/acre” (Delate et al. 2003). The economic advantage inherent in organic production in this case is obvious, but the study also alludes to certain points that make organic production particularly beneficial for small shareholder farms such as those found in Latin America and the Caribbean. These benefits 10 include freedom from the economic burden of accessing chemical inputs, pesticides, and machinery for conventional farming.
Farming is a central economic block in many Latin Americana and Caribbean countries as indicated by Nidhi Tandon: “agriculture is also a key source of employment in many
Caribbean countries, accounting for approximately 16% of the overall employment in the region
— 30% in Guyana, 25% in Dominica, 20% in St. Lucia, and 18% in Jamaica” (Tandon 2014).
However, the small farmers in the region cannot compete with conventionally grown produce in large farms. The reduction in the prices of produce caused in part by subsidized imported food and by large production by big farms threatens the livelihood of many in the region. Organic production might be a way of mitigating the impact of the shrinking market for local producers.
Not only will this create a new space for small farmers in the local market as organic food is rarely if ever imported to this countries but will also improve the community by providing locally grown clean food. This strategy is feasible and sustainable because small shareholder farms in developing countries are often best positioned for transitioning into organic agricultural production.
Organic production and Small-shareholder Farms
In April of 2003, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFDA) published the results of a thematic evaluation of organic agriculture in Latin America and the Caribbean conducted between 2001 and 2002. The study analyzed seven cases in six countries, examining a total of 14 farmer groups comprising more than 5,100 small farms of about 2 hectare each who cultivated a total of more than 9,000 hectares. These small farmers successfully adopted organic technologies and marketed their products through export markets. The cases were located in
Argentina, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico and 11
included a diverse number of products, among them: coffee, bananas, cacao, honey, vegetables,
sugar cane, and apples. The evaluation identified a number of operational issues that small
farmers in Latin America and the Caribbean face when adopting organic practices, but concluded
that under the right conditions small farm-holders are more often than not better suited for organic production strategies than mid or large scale farms.
Among The IFDA’s results one of the most positive was the ease with which small farms in the regions examined were able to adopt organic farming conventions. This is the result of farmers using low or no input farming techniques. Often because of economic constrictions small farmers cannot afford chemical inputs, pesticides, or the fuel and machinery used in conventional farming. This lack of conventional farming inputs means that many farmers (particularly those growing sugar in Argentina and vegetables in El Salvador) were already implementing organic or low input techniques. As the report indicates: “Interestingly, small farmers dominated organic production in all the countries in which case studies were carried out— and in most of the other
LAC countries—and smallholders accounted for most of the area under organic farming…Such a dominant presence suggests that small farmers may have some competitive advantages in organic production… most small farmers in LAC already produce more or less organically”
(IFDA 2003).
Beyond the lack or reduced use of chemical inputs, many smallholders also grow their crops in forested areas and among other species, thus reducing mono-cropping. For this reason they are less likely to experience incidents of crop specific pests and diseases than large farm- holder: “[small farmers] are likely to experience a lower incident of pests and diseases…In contrast, larger, more capitalized farmers, who produce with technologies based on chemical inputs, often face greater difficulties when shifting to organic production. They need to learn new 12 technologies, and their crops are initially more vulnerable to pest and disease” (IFDA 2003).
Another advantage small farm-holder farmers who switch to organic production had, according to the evaluation, was that the switch tends to be labor intensive but requires low capital investment, thus it uses the production value most accessible to small farmers: human labor as opposed to machines. However, the evaluation also stresses that such advantages need to be complemented with organizational strategies, technological and training assistance, and effective financial strategies that many farmers do not have the capability of implementing alone if they are to market their produce effectively.
The most critical variable that impacts the success of organic production and marketing for small farmers is the development of stable, efficient farmer organizations. According to the
IFDA, farmer organizations have the capability of addressing four major challenges small farm- holders face when they enter the organic market:
• They create access to economies of scale for small farmers through collective marketing.
This allows farmer organizations to manage volumes of productions that attract large
scale buyers, including supermarket chains and foreign groups interested in exports.
• They are able to train farmers in many basic organic strategies, promoting the practice
and introducing new technologies.
• They also organize monitoring systems that ensure that organic standards are maintained
thus nurturing trust between farmers and buyers. When these monitoring systems work
effectively they also can penalize those who do not maintain the appropriate standards
ensuring compliance. A side effect of this is the decrease in the cost of certification as in 13
the cases where such measures were taken certification agencies did not have to send
agents to every farm but only to a sample group for compliance verification.
• Finally, farmer organizations evaluated in the IFDA report attracted the help of
government agencies and/or NGOs for themselves and for their individual members
which helped them in adopting the necessary changes in production to ensure organic
standards. (IFDA, 2003).
The enlisted reasons above stress the importance of farmer organizations that function effectively and that can monitor and penalize when needed. However, developing such groups is not easy or simple, but it is indispensable. As the report indicated: “programmes and projects that promote the adoption of organic crops among small farmers should include interventions to strongly support farmer organizations” (IFDA, 2003). Without such organizations producers are often barred from large markets because they cannot produce large quantities and often are unable to negotiate effectively with their buyers or with financial institutions individually.
Another major problem recognized in the evaluation of the successful organic farming communities in Latin America and the Caribbean is the conspicuous lack of local markets.
The majority of the successful ventures examined by the IFDA related to small farmers who had organized and attracted foreign buyers for their products, thus successfully exporting to international markets in North America, Europe, and most recently Asia. This practice exacerbates tensions in what some call “a food war” between the developed nations that import these products and the developing nations that import the highly subsidized, conventionally grown, products from the developed states. Selling to external markets is currently the best option for farmers because there simply are few to no markets for organic produce in many of 14 these countries, and when they exist, they are not well regulated and farmers are not guaranteed the higher prices they get when selling to exporters. The IFDA report indicates that small organic farmers received a premium over the price of their conventional counterparts that ranged from the minimum of 22% paid to banana growers in Dominica Republic in 2002 to 150% paid to cacao producers in Costa Rica in 2001. Such increase in revenue is one of the major incentives for farmers to switch to organic production. However, the lack of organic specific markets in
Latin America and the Caribbean means that opportunities for such revenue increase are considerably reduced if they sold their produce in the local markets.
Developing Organic Markets: Latin America and the Caribbean
In recognition of challenges faced by Caribbean and Latin American farmers who wish to venture into organic farming, The Jamaica Sustainable Farm Enterprise Program (JSFEP) provides continual support through training programs and assistance to achieve the goals of locally sustainable production that will increase food security and developing high value internal and export markers (thesourcefarm.com). In Jamaica, the program has worked in developing training programs for farmers like One One Coco which begun as a month long intensive training program in organic permaculture and is now transitioning into a year long curriculum provided monthly. One One Coco provides technical knowledge concerning best organic agricultural practices assisting farmers in the transition from conventional or low input farming to completely organic farming bringing them a step closer to certification.
Another success of the program is the opening of the Ujima Natural Farmer’s Market.
The market provides a space where farmers from: “St. Thomas, Kingston & St. Andrew and
Portland), producers, crafters and artisans come together to provide a variety of fresh naturally grown (pesticide free) produce and related products directly to the consumer” 15
(thesourcefarm.com). The Ujima farmer’s market directly addresses the lack of separate market
space for “clean” and “organic” foods ensuring that consumers can find these products and
increase consumer and producer trust. The success of the Ujima farmer’s market is a clear
indicator that there is demand for “clean” and organic food on the island by locals and that only
the inaccessibility of these produce has been the reason why local communities have not been
purchasing “clean” foods before, not their lack of interest in such produce. Beyond the
community’s access to “clean” foods, the Ujima market is also an organizational structure under
which the farms participating can standardize their organic requirements and become certified.
As was indicated in the IFDA report, organization of farm co-operatives is the most important step for small farm shareholders that wish to gain organic certification and the One One Coco project and the Ujima farmer’s market are both spaces that promote such organization among farmers.
Furthermore, The JSFEP initiative is also addressing issues such as financial raining, organization improvements, and certification procedures. In the last six months alone, volunteers recruited by FAVACA for the program have worked in media campaigns to increase awareness of the existence of the One One Coco program and the Ujima farmer’s market, training farmers in organic input supplies, training in produce handling and packing, and increase high value crop production particularly fruits and vegetables. Another aspect of development the program will
peruse in the next six months is financial training that will give farmers access to financial
assistance for expansion or transition into organic farming. The cash based system that
predominates in Jamaica results in many farmers not having bank accounts of easily accessible
financial records that would allow them to qualify for loans or other financial ventures. The goal
of volunteers such as Rick Larson is to provide training in subjects such as Microloans and other 16 funding strategies that are necessary as farmers prepare for expansion or transition. Financial training is as essential to the success of the Jamaica Sustainable Farm Enterprise Program as the development of the Ujima market and the organic certification process if farmers are going to be successful in sustaining the organic system.
Conclusion
The current movement toward organic consumption is a global phenomenon not exclusively experience in developed nations. Until now, developing nations have played the role of producers but have been barred from access to many of the products they export. We cannot allow such a divide between wealthy and poor in terms of clean and conventional foods to exist when there is potential for the development of a system that will create sustainable internal and export markets, will increase the standard of living of small shareholder farmers, and will increase food security for some of the most vulnerable populations in Latin America and the
Caribbean. The JSFEP initiative takes into consideration the challenges identified in the IFDA report and in other studies and has successfully addressed them by providing training to farmers through One One Coco and providing support for the development of organizations such as the
Ujima farmer’s market. Organic agriculture is the most sustainable option for small farmers that are unable to compete with large farms in the conventional farming market. Organic farming is also the route toward equalizing the consumption of “clean” foods globally. The opportunity for creating a system that benefits farmers, consumers, the economy, and the environment is before us.
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JSFEP Organic Justification Report: Environmental and Health Benefits
Overview by Amanda Green
General Background of Conventional Farming:
The history behind conventional farming, which involved the use of artificial inputs,
stems from the noble cause to feed as many people as possible with the limited amount of land
available. Conventional farming proved productive over the last few decades through the use of
pesticides, synthetic chemicals, synthetic fertilizers, and avoiding crop rotation. However, the
depletion of ecological diversity, heightened dependence on external inputs, and potential health
risks of increased exposure to pesticides over time has made this once well-intentioned agricultural practice detrimental to the sustainability of agriculture and our planet (Stony Brook
University, 2015).
This section of the report will outline, summarize, and further explain the basic science that postures organic, sustainable farming as the superior method when compared to traditional farming through reports and case studies. Additionally, a summary of the health benefits from consuming organic foods will be included. These reports will come solely from Western states as there is almost no research into the benefits of eating organic food that focuses on people in developing countries. However, due to the biological sameness of all humans, the results of health studies will be considered universal for the purposes of this report.
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Effects of Traditional Farming over Time on Land Quality:
In the 2013 edition of Is Sustainability Still Possible? (ISSP), Danielle Nierenberg
addresses some of the large scale issues with the most recent conventional farming push known
as “The Green Revolution”. She points out that although it was “effective at increasing yields in
the short term” the revolution only focused on yields and failed to recognize the importance of
biological interaction. Additionally, Nierenberg (2013) notes that the Green Revolution’s large-
scale agricultural practices have caused “significant land degradation” and affected “nearly 2
billion hectares and 2.6 billion people.” More specifically, the land degradation that has occurred
includes coastal dead zones and reduced biodiversity from “the overuse and misuse of artificial fertilizers and pesticides which produced toxic runoff” (Nierenberg, 2013). The section discussing climate change will explain more in depth the chemical interactions in the soil and atmosphere when comparing organic agricultural practices and traditional practices.
However, the most troubling part about this pollution is the pointlessness of it. According to Pimentel (2005), in 2003 there was an excess of $2.5 billion worth of fertilizer being used by farmers annually. This toxic runoff was not only killing millions of plants and animals in the
Gulf, it was also a waste of U.S. Corn Belt farmers’ resources. Additionally, a briefing released by Frankenberger and Turco in 2003 showed that this excess fertilizer is directly correlated to the demise and even downfall of one of the North America’s largest fisheries. This kind of carelessness and abuse of land is entirely unacceptable. It is especially upsetting because of the clear alternatives available – sustainable farming.
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Farmers’ Independence:
An additional benefit to more sustainable farming is that farmers can avoid the “perpetual
cycle of loans, subsidies, and debt” that is common with conventional farmers (Stony Brook
University, 2015). Nierenberg goes on to explain that moving back to agroecology is not
detrimental to progress. This sustainable and environmentally friendly approach to food
production does not mean a return to old-fashioned or outdated practices. On the contrary, such
approaches are highly complex, relying on the “extensive knowledge of farmers and an
understanding of local ecosystems” (Nierenberg, 2013). In Jamaica, there has been a staggering
decline of farmers who know how to use their native soil to produce crops. The West’s pesticide
push during the Green Revolution has created a dependence on external inputs that is
unprecedented for the island country.
Furthermore, switching to sustainable practices can aid farmers by making them more
resistant to natural disasters. In Nierenberg’s (2013) chapter in ISSP, she discusses a landmark
study conducted in 2001 in Honduras, which compared and contrasted “conventional” and
“sustainable” farming practices on farms spread across 880 plots of ecologically similar land that
had been devastated by Hurricane Mitch in 1999. The researchers Nierenberg (2013) described
found that the farms engaged in “agroecological or sustainable land management practices had
higher resistance to the storm.”
Lastly, farmers in Central America and the Caribbean are most likely low-income, small land capacity farmers. By using sustainable methods (and often organic ones due to an inability to pay for expensive fertilizer), low-income farmers are able to use a strategy that is “minimizing risk by planting several species and varieties of crops, stabilizes yields over the long term, 20
promotes diet diversity, and maximizes returns under low levels of technology and limited
resources” (Altieri, 200). This sort of ingenuity that has been present for centuries in the
traditional farming methods of Latin American and Caribbean farmers is crucial to promoting a
higher level of independence for farmers and their families.
How Sustainable Farming Addresses Climate Change:
The gravity of climate changed has been noted by many international organizations, most
prominently by the United Nations whose 2013 Conference on Trade and Development was
titled “Make Agriculture Truly Sustainable Now For Food Security in a Changing Climate”. One
of the main objectives that stemmed from this conference was the call for a shift in agricultural
development. Specifically, they said that a shift from “conventional, mono-culture-based and high-external-input-dependent industrial production towards mosaics of sustainable, regenerative production systems that also considerably improve the productivity of small-scale farmers” was vital to the mitigation of climate change effects (Development, 2013). This call to action is particularly interesting because just twenty years ago, conventional methods were thought to be the only way to feed the world’s starving population. However, after extensive research and evaluation, those same conventional methods have proven to produce more problems than they solved.
One of the primary problems that traditional farming has contributed to is a sharp increase in nitrous oxide emissions. Dr. Kristie Boering’s most recent report (2012) on the N2O
levels indicates that they are up 20% in the troposphere’s mix since 1750 (Park, et al., 2012). As
is visible in the data she provides, a spike in atmospheric nitrous oxide occurred in direct
correlation to the green revolution around the 1960s. In addition to the atmospheric 21
consequences, waterways throughout the U.S. have experienced severe pollution from
agriculture’s toxic runoff. When this waste makes its way into rivers and streams, the process of
denitrification begins. Though waterways are adept at filtering themselves over time, Aquatic
Ecologist and Researcher Patrick Mullholland has found that they are only able to filter about
16% of the nitrogen they are encountering (Biello, 2008). Unfortunately, because of the way that
denitrification works, that 16% is the amount that ends up in the atmosphere. As one of the three
most dangerous greenhouse gases, N2O needs to be kept under control.
States all over the world are using nitrogen rich fertilizer excessively and causing
irreparable damage to the atmosphere just because of their omissions. For example, China has
increased crop yield by 98% but increased nitrogen-based fertilizer use by 271% (Ju, Kou,
Zhang, & Christie, 2006). This is troubling because in 2005 Dr. F.S. Zhang and his team were able to prove that the Chinese farmers could cut their nitrogen-based fertilizer use in half and have the same production rates. The amount of waste and N2O this excess releases is
significantly impacting our water, land, and atmosphere.
One of the ways organic farming can mitigate this is affect is through nitrogen and
carbon absorption capacities. Pimentel’s analysis revealed a positive effect on soil carbon and
soil nitrogen levels when organic practices were in place. As seen in the graphs below, the
nitrogen and carbon levels increased most when animal or legume based fertilization were being
used. Their conclusion was that “the environmental benefits attributable to reduced chemical
inputs, less soil erosion, water conservation, and improved soil organic matter and biodiversity
were consistently greater in the organic systems than in the conventional systems” (Pimentel,
578). 22
Source: Graph from Pimentel, D., & Pimentel, M. H. (Eds.). (2007). Food, energy, and society. CRC press.
Additionally, the amount of energy that is required in order to produce traditional produce is substantially higher than that of organic foods. In an analysis of the 22-year experiments study done by the Rodale Institute, the amount of fossil fuels necessary to produce conventionally grown cash crops was one-third higher than it was for organic food.
The inputs included fossil fuels for farm machinery, fertilizers, seeds, and herbicides.
About 5.2 million kilocalories (kcal) of energy per ha (hectare) were invested in the
production of corn in the conventional system. The energy inputs for the organic animal
and organic legume systems were 28% and 32% less than those of the conventional
system, respectively. Commercial fertilizers for the conventional system were produced 23
employing fossil energy, whereas the nitrogen nutrients for the organic systems were
obtained from legumes or cattle manure, or both. (Pimentel, 575)
Besides the mitigation effects, Pimentel’s analysis also revealed that drought conditions were
less likely to affect organic crops in comparison to traditional ones. In the five dry years,
“average corn yields… were significantly higher (28% to 34%) in the two organic systems…
compared with… the conventional systems” (Pimentel, 575). Since droughts have been steadily
increasing since the 1970s (Dai & Trenberth, 3367-3370), this ability to better withstand
droughts conditions will also affect world hunger and the independence of farmers.
A shift to organic, sustainable agriculture might be one of the last ways to feed people
internationally while mitigating the effects of climate change. In a laundry list of additional
benefits from switching to organic and sustainable agriculture, Nierenberg (2013) says that
“unemployment, urbanization, desertification, water pollution and other environmental
challenges” will see incredible improvements.
How Sustainable Farming Addresses World Hunger:
Food prices are on the rise and food waste is still too high. Because of this, there are 925
million people who are hungry or malnourished. Of Latin America and the Caribbean’s 525
million people, 53 million re hungry or malnourished (Nierenberg, 2013). It is incredibly sad that with the largest amount of potentially arable land in the world (Jarroud, 2014), over 10% of the region is having food trouble. Also, studies show that obesity is on the rise globally. Sub-Saharan
Africa is the only region without an obesity epidemic (Doytch, 2016). Additionally, glucose 24 levels are on the rise. With these two extremes plaguing the world, a close look at how to reverse the current weight trends is necessary.
Fortunately, there are ways to mitigate the effects of climate change while simultaneously addressing the hunger crisis. Furthermore, these mitigation techniques and their impacts are measureable, scientifically proven, and have the capacity to enhance the lives of people across the globe. By switching to sustainable farming that empowers farmers, betters soil quality, and raises the nutritional value of plants (see Consumer Health Benefits – Health Impacts section below), the world can address climate change and world hunger simultaneously.
Why Sustainable Farming and Organic Farming Should Be Used Together:
The Strengthening Sustainable Agriculture in the Caribbean report explains the primary reasons that sustainable farming practices are most effective when combined with organic practices.
Some countries in Latin America have pioneered the adoption of organic farming by
small farmers through technical assistance projects supported by the MiF and other donor
organizations that encourage the use of local resources and non-chemical inputs and
advise farmers’ organizations on marketing techniques. These types of projects have
indeed increased farmers’ income and boosted sector growth. (SSAC Report, 7)
As Section One showed, the marketability of crops increases substantially when it can be certified as organic. Increasing access to these certifiers and promoting organic, sustainable practices will not only better the lives of farmers, their families, and their communities, but it will simultaneously address environmental concerns. The possibility of engaging some of the world’s most serious problems – poverty and climate change – presents an opportunity that must 25
be taken advantage of. The SSAC Report also draws the conclusion that a successful switch to
organic and sustainable farming practices will result in “a positive long-term impact on local food security and promote a return to holistic environmental management systems” (SSAC 27).
Case Studies
While these examples show that there is global room for sustainable farming, the primary
objective of this report is to justify the organic farming methods of the Jamaica Sustainable
Farming Enterprise Program. As such, the subsequent cases will focus on mostly Latin American
and Caribbean states that have already benefitted in extreme ways from transitioning from
conventional to sustainable and organic farming. There will be one health case study included
that is from a Western country. These Latin American and Caribbean forerunners are Bolivia and
Cuba.
Bolivia
Environmental Benefits
Dr. Miguel Altieri’s report on productivity in “peasant farming systems” largely discussed experiments done in Bolivia. These experiments were intended to prove what system was most likely to yield the highest amount with the lowest input. Inputs included manure or chemical fertilizer. The results he summarized were interesting because they point to organic, local, and inexpensive manures as being the most efficient input for the highest yield. Table V is provided below to show the statistics that accompany his claim. 26
Additionally, the AGRUCO study he cites recommends rotational crop practices will lead to “reduced the incidence of virus diseases” (Altieri, 208). These studies also found that “energy costs are higher and net economic benefits lower than with the agroecological system” (Altieri,
208). However, most importantly, surveys revealed that “farmers prefer this alternative system
because it optimizes the use of scarce resources, labor and available capital, and is available to
even poor producers” (Altieri, 208). Paying attention to the desires and preferences of
stakeholders as integral as the farmers is necessary for long-term change and improvement.
Cuba
Due to years of destabilizing foreign policies, Cuba has been forced to become self- sufficient, with little to no fossil fuel resources. This has led to a farming community that has learned to utilize limited resources as efficiently as possible, yielding impressive results.
(Murphy & Morgan, 341) By avoiding the use of nitrogen fertilizer, Cubans are not contributing to the energy waste that occurs when producers convert massive amounts of natural gas into 27
fertilizer. Additionally, they have not had to use nearly as much oil on imports and exports. They
are able to rely on their farmers’ knowledge of soil health and necessities rather than developing
the import dependency that many of their Caribbean neighbors have today. This level of food
sovereignty was achieved without the help of the International Monetary Fund or the World
Bank (Murphy & Morgan, 341).
Luckily for the purposes of this report, the Cuban government invested millions of dollars
into making sure they could feed everyone without relying on imports (Murphy & Morgan, 334).
This created an unprecedented self-reliance in the face of embargoes. The research that came
from it will serve as the closest thing possible to a controlled case study.
Environmental Benefits
Prior to the 1990s, Cuba, like many countries, used agricultural practices that were
“large-scale, export-oriented, heavily mechanized, and highly dependent on chemical inputs”.
(Murphy & Morgan, 334) It is because their journey began this way, similar to the practices that
much of the world still uses, that Cuba makes a great example. Their forced but necessary
transition to sustainable agriculture meant that fossil-fuel-based fertilizer use dropped from 1.3
million tons to 160,000 tons per year.
Over the next twenty years, Cuba’s carbon dioxide emissions would be reduced by 25
percent. The lack of “chemical inputs and limited fuel, electricity, and machinery” meant that
Cuba had to develop new methods. These included “organic fertilizers, animal traction (oxen),
mixed cropping, and biological pest control” (Murphy & Morgan, 2013). Switching from
traditional practices to these “newer” ones developed by their scientists has led to Cuba being 28
listed as the only sustainable development state in world according to WWF’s Living Planet
Report in 2006. Furthermore, the CO2 emissions in Cuba are 2.40 tons per person annually. The
World’s average is 4.29 tons per person annually (Murphy & Morgan, 339). Statistical indicators
like this hint towards the possibility that states are able to develop while lowering their CO2
emissions.
Health Impacts
These practices can be credited with keeping Cubans from starving. Actually, by 2007, the average dietary intake for each Cuban was 3,200 kcal (Murphy & Morgan, 341). This high
caloric intake is not just from roots and tubors, which tripled in production from 1994-1998.
Bean yields increased 60%, citrus yields increased 110%, vegetables doubled in the same time
frame (Murphy & Morgan 341). This food boom came at the same time that agrochemical use
was declining rapidly. Therefore, in addition to increasing the possible caloric intake and
nutritional well-being of their population, Cubans were lowering their exposure to harmful pesticides.
As Murphy and Morgan state, Cuba’s health indicators further support the case that their population is quite healthy. When compared to the United States, one of the most developed states in the world, Cuba’s life expectancy is only .7 years lower. Additionally, their infant mortality rate is “4.8 deaths per 1000 live births, significantly lower than the U.S. rate of 6.06 deaths” (Murphy and Morgan 341). Lastly, while 35.7% of the adults living in the United States are obese, only 11.8% of Cuban adults are obese. These statistics are particularly intriguing since the level of technology available in healthcare services is significantly higher in the United 29
States. Cubans point to their rich diets and desire to curb energy consumption when it comes to
explaining their healthiness.
Consumer Health Benefits
Health Impacts
Dr. Ewa Rembialkowska’s study “Quality of plant products from organic agriculture”
found that “Organic crops contain fewer nitrates, nitrites and pesticide residues but, as a rule,
more dry matter, vitamin C, phenolic compounds, essential amino acids and total sugars than
conventional crops.” More specifically, on average there was 28.7% more Vitamin C, 119.3%
more Phenolic compounds, 21.1% more iron, 29.3% more magnesium, and 13.6% more
phosphorus in organic food when compared to conventional crops in anywhere from 15-21
studies (Rembialkowska, 2007). Furthermore, her study has concluded that “organic crops also
contain statistically more mineral compounds” and most often they have “better sensory and
long-term storage qualities”. The importance of this stems from the fact that these are some of
the desired qualities of resilient crops.
Dr. Melissa Nelson of San Francisco State University has also written about the
correlation between clean eating, health benefits, and sustainability. She cites an experiment that
sought to decide how returning to an indigenous people’s plant-based diet, which is primarily organic foods native to the area, would affect the health of participants. This collaborative study by the Physicians’ Committee for Responsible Medicine and Kiowa Native Chef Lois Ellen
Frank and Navajo Native Chef Walter Whitewater found those who participated in their cooking classes “lost weight, lowered blood sugar levels, [and] in some instances were able to decrease 30
their diabetes medication while working with medical professionals, and felt much healthier”
(Nelson, 208). Their return to “native foodways” was incredibly positive and inspired people to
host conferences that encourage participants to return to their ancestors’ practices with a renewed
respect. At each of them, before and after tests would show that people’s blood sugar,
cholesterol, and weight would all be lowered.
Once again, returning to what were formerly considered “outdated practices” is being repeatedly cited as the best solution. This transition would include avoiding pesticides, nitrogen- rich fertilizers, and Green Technologies that have been developed over the past 50 years by hard- working people; many of whom were simply trying to feed the masses. Their dedication to mass production and the technological advancement born as a result of the Green Revolution should be remembered as they revealed some of the key ways to produce plant-based food quickly and
under duress. However, the high-energy consumption and resource depletion that they require
are not realistic for a long-term solution to producing food sustainably.
Technology and Innovation benefits
As can be seen from the Cuban example, returning to organic agriculture will take hard
work, perseverance, and support from leaders. Hopefully, a more important lesson can also be
learned from the Cubans – the world should not wait for a disaster like failed relations or sea
levels rising so high they impede agricultural production before it acts. Cuba had to react in a
time of crisis in order to feed their people. The rest of the planet need not wait till they are under
a similar time crunch. 31
Ways to act preemptively include promotion of backyard organic farming, subsidies to small, local, organic farmers instead of billionaires (Milking Taxpayers, 2014), and finally, supporting our overseas growers. As Section One shows, the organic market is booming and farmers are having a hard time keeping up with demand. Through an enhanced certification process for our Caribbean and Latin American neighbors, the United States could answer the call for organic produce.
Conclusion
While it is clear that the Green Revolution was well-intentioned and brought many technological advancements, it is also apparent that there is a pressing need to transition to organic and sustainable agriculture. Scientists and farmers alike have expressed serious concern over the push to grow crops using artificial inputs. Projects like the Jamaican Sustainable
Farming Enterprise Program are among the best ways to make this necessary transition. The funding of small, organic farmers will show heightened commitment from international development agencies. If the world is truly going to take the recommendations from the United
Nations Conference on Trade and Development to make agriculture sustainable, everyone needs to support organically grown produce in favor of its nutritionally richer makeup and sustainable production practices.
32
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Assist in transitioning the organic certification system from Jamaica Organic Agriculture Movement (JOAM) to the National Certification Body of Jamaica (NCBJ) Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Evaluate current certification system under JOAM. x Coordinate stakeholder meetings. x x NCBJ establishe a working group to identify and coordinate activities. x NCBJ submit proposal to support a comparison of CARICOM standards to US and EU standards to determine equivalency. x NCBJ establishe a dialog with a US based certifier, Quality Certification Services (QCS) in Florida to request mentoring and possible partnerships. x x Coordinate volunteer assignments that train NCBJ staff in establishing and managing an organic certification system. x Assist in clarifying the roles of JOAM and Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) x Help develop the mentoring relationship between NCBJ and QCS, hopefully resulting in some individual certification of farms that NCBJ can collaborate on to build skills. x Assist in identifying funding sources and preparing proposals that support NCBJ during the start-up phase. NCBJ establishes functioning individual certification capacity NCBJ collaborates with QCS to perform certification of grower group established by JSFE project JSFE provides additional requested technical assistance (livestock or processing certification systems for example) NCBJ establishes functioning group certification and certifies JSFE grower group and additional clients (Cocoa Farmers?) NCBJ expands certification services to provide Livestock and Processing certification JSFE provides technical assistance for developing a strategic plan for NCBJ to expand certification services throughout the Caribbean.
Prepare growers for certification using a group certification model, which will be certified by NCBJ under organic standards developed by CARICOM Provide a structure and plan for establishing a group certification system. x x Provide technical support on organic production systems to participating farmers via on farm consulting and the One One Coco curriculum. x x Provide tools to participating farmers that will improve their capacity to manage weeds without herbicides x x Provide training on organic soil improvement using cover crops and established initial seed availability for four cover crops. x x Provide technical support that further strengthened the market for organic products x x Raise funds to support staff to coordinate the development of the grower group Establish grower group leadership and strategic plan With volunteer technical assistance, establish organic crop production protocols that will be used as the foundation of the organic certification plan x Organize grower training around crop production protocols Participate in stakeholder meetings with JOAM, NCBJ, and MOA x With volunteer technical assistance, establish an operations manual for the Internal Control System (ICS) that includes that application, inspection, and recordkeeping protocols Coordinate grower trainings around ICS Launch ICS Coordinate and submit the application for group certification to QCS/NCBJ Grower group achieves certified organic status Farmer-to-Farmer Program Standard Indicator Reporting Tables Table 4: Outreach and Leverage
Implementing Partner Name Fiscal Year Releases of Press Number Number of Media Events Number of Group Presentations Total Number of Outreach Activities ofValue Resources Leveraged by Grantee and Volunteers in the U.S. (U.S.$) FAVACA FY15 2 21 17 40 $ 51,114 FAVACA FY16 3 2 19 24 $ 25,112 Total To-Date (Date): 5 23 36 64 $ 76,226