4-H clubs deliver virtual training in rabbit rearing

The Trelawny branch of the Jamaica 4-H Clubs recently concluded a Rabbit Care and Management training course, which was conducted on the Zoom platform at no cost to participants.

Parish manager and coordinator for the project, Natanish Hines, told JIS News that 109 aspiring farmers and entrepreneurs islandwide participated in the mastery-level training, which aims to entice more livestock farmers to venture into rabbit rearing at the commercial level. The aim is to ultimately steer Jamaica towards greater consumption of the alternative animal protein.

The virtual classes and assessment took place from February 10 - 22. Hines said the level of participation exceeded expectation in numbers, and that the gender balance was encouraging with a ratio of 60:40 male/female, ranging from 15 years old to senior adults.

Since the pandemic

"Previously, we used to look at [training] our 4-H leaders, which were our clubbites in the schools. [However], since the pandemic, we have broadened the scope and now we are looking at anybody and everybody who is available and is at home trying to find an alternative or something to pivot on," Hines said. "We need to get more Jamaicans consuming this protein (rabbit), which is said to be superior to chicken meat as it is leaner and comes to market much faster than others. It also fetches a better price on the market."

Another objective of the programme, she said, is to promote the rabbit rearing as a lucrative undertaking from which money can be made. Depending on the market and the breed, a pair of rabbits, Hines noted, may cost from $5,000 to $15,000.

Pre-COVID-19 demand for rabbit meat among the Spanish-operated hotels and restaurants along the north coast was on the increase, Hines pointed out, adding that an improvement in the standard of presentation and packaging would bring added value to the product for both farmers and their markets.