Regional youth exchange programme coming

YOUNG people in agriculture are set to benefit from experts from across the region through a soon-to-be implemented youth regional exchange programme.

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining Floyd Green made the disclosure at the 4-H National Achievement Expo, held at the Denbigh 4-H Centre in Clarendon on May 10.

Minister Green said the initiative, which will be launched shortly, will enable members of Jamaica 4-H Clubs to travel free of cost to other Caribbean islands to acquire knowledge on how they do agriculture, and to learn best practices.

He further stated that the programme will provide the opportunity for young people from across the Caribbean to visit Jamaica to spend time on farms and learn from Jamaican farmers.

Green said a platform will be set up where youth will be “linked with either somebody in agriculture here or across the region, to pass on expert knowledge in farming”.

In the meantime, the minister stated that through the work of the 4-H Clubs more young people have been entering the agricultural sector.

“More youth are leading their schools across the national school gardens programme, more are coming up with innovative ways to address our challenges, and are seeing agriculture as the future where they can truly get wealth and build their enterprise,” Green said.

He said, too, that the Rural Youth Economic Empowerment Programme (RYEEP) has been expanded, adding that hundreds of youth between the ages of 18 and 35 have been trained and provided with inputs to build sustainable enterprises.

The Jamaica 4-H Clubs is the leading youth training organisation with more than 105,000 members across the country. It provides various training opportunities to young persons between the ages of five and 35 years. Clubs are found in schools, churches, communities, and special youth facilities.

Its mission is to mobilise, educate and train young people in agricultural, homemaking, leadership, and social skills which will prepare them for or influence them into careers in agriculture and agro-related occupations. The movement also seeks to provide a cadre of trained young leaders capable of contributing to national development.