Jamaica 4-H Clubs targeting regional food security

Peter Thompson, executive director of the Jamaica 4-H Clubs, says the movement has embarked on a new initiative, which is aimed at galvanising support from regional partners across the Caribbean.

"We have taken leadership at the 4-H level to organise that, and in short order we will be reaching out to all regional members," said Thompson, who was addressing the St Ann 4-H Clubs Parish Achievement Day and Expo 2024 at Brown's Town Primary School recently. The event was staged under the theme 'Youth in Agriculture: Shaping the New FACE of Food'.

According to Thompson, the Jamaica 4-H Clubs, which has a membership of more than 100,000 and spans 1,067 clubs, is looking to expand its model to other Caribbean islands as part of the drive to enhance food security in the region.

"We want to use the Jamaica 4-H model to see how best we can tweak it to execute 4-H movements in these islands," said Thompson, noting that the 4-H movement is celebrating its 84th anniversary this month. April is also being celebrated as Farmers' Month.

"We expended over $40 million last financial year to support the Rural Youth Economic Empowerment Programme to assist clubbites and students to develop entrepreneurial skills, and to promote value-added agriculture as well as primary production," said Thompson, who further noted that by the end of the 2023-2024 financial year, the Jamaica 4-H Clubs had allocated more than $25 million to support students entering secondary and tertiary institutions to learn agricultural skills and further their education.

The expo saw students from primary and secondary schools across St Ann participating in a wide range of activities, which included debating, livestock care events, art presentations, composting competitions, exhibitions, beekeeping, and poultry care.