Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries (MICAF), Karl Samuda, says government is reviewing use of the mother and satellite farming methods to protect local agriculture from vulnerability to natural disasters, after a projected four per cent decline last year.

In a statement in the House of Representatives yesterday, in which he confirmed the decline for fiscal 2017/18, Samuda suggested that the domination of the sector by small players with small plots of land and no insurance would have to end.

He said recent events in the agricultural sector, primarily the effect of frequent floods, have focused his ministry’s attention on exploring a new strategy for agricultural development.

“This new agriculture requires bigger players working in concert with the smaller players, to infuse agriculture with the new technology, to champion protective agriculture and perfect the mother farm and satellite farm concept which have done so well for others,” Samuda said.

He stated that 2017 was a “challenging but exciting year” for the agricultural sector, following 13.5 per cent growth in the sector in 2016.

“We were greeted in early 2017 by persistent drought conditions resulting in a 3.7 per cent decline in the first quarter,” he noted.

“Of course, as is well known, from April to the end of the year we have had almost continuous rains, with flooding events in May/June. The continuous nature of the rains resulted in the second, third and fourth quarter declining. Preliminary estimates indicate that we will have a decrease for the sector of about four per cent. From June to October alone, last year, direct crop and livestock losses amounted to over $300 million,” he stated.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/business-observer/gov-8217-t-looking-at-mother-farm-concept-climate-change-equires-a-radical-shift-in-strategy_123374?profile=1056