Jamaica 4-H clubbites urged to share information on climate change

Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Andrene Collings, is urging Jamaica 4-H clubbites to share information relating to climate change and its impact on the sector to their peers as part of their environmental programmes as well as join in the national tree planting programme by planting fruit trees at their schools, homes and within their communities.

“I urge you to see this challenge as an opportunity to develop drought-resistant crops utilising the training you have received in the latest technologies. As we celebrate the renewed energy in the agricultural sector, led by you our youths, of paramount concern and importance is Jamaica’s overall vulnerability to climate change”, Mrs. Collings said.

As part of its environmental thrust, the Jamaica 4-H Clubs staged a Climate Smart Agriculture Symposium aimed at underscoring the need for an intensified drive of promoting climate-smart agricultural practices among youth in schools, communities and the wider public.

Mrs. Collings was speaking at the Jamaica 4-H Clubs Climate Smart Agriculture Symposium held at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston on Friday, (September 21). The symposium formed part of the close out of one of the components of the Japan-Caribbean Climate Change Partnership Project, ‘Promoting Climate Smart Technologies in Schools through Enhancement of the 4-H Supported School Gardens Programme’.

According to Mrs. Collings, global warming and the impact of climate change easily qualify as one of the greatest threats to human existence and a sustainable quality of life in the 21st century, and that the agricultural sector is particularly vulnerable and susceptible to climate change.
Meanwhile, Pro-Vice Chancellor and Principal at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Professor Dale Webber, who delivered the main address, encouraged the students to enlighten themselves on environmental protection, and the sharing of this information with others, noting that “you are the conduits to everyone around you, at home and at school through which this will take place”.

He informed that the UWI is playing its part by providing crucial research information on climate challenges related to sea level rise and increased temperatures to the relevant stakeholders.

The project, which was supported by the Government of Japan, the Climate Change Division in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, as well as, the United Nations Development Programme, saw the implementation of water harvesting systems in 70 institutions, including schools with 4-H clubs climate-smart gardens.

A total of 161 youth, 4-H leaders, volunteers and staff were trained between May and July of this year in techniques aimed at providing hands-on learning opportunities in various aspects of climate-resilient agricultural practice. They were presented with certificates of participation at the symposium.

As part of a mini-exhibition, the clubbites and leaders mounted three major displays, representing the three regions of the Jamaica 4-H Clubs – western, central and eastern. The models depicted Renewable Energy, Integrated Hydroponics and the impact of Bio-diversity.

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