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January 13, 2010
Community Greenhouse Training Centre - a gift for Mocho
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The community of Mocho in Clarendon received a fitting gift this Christmas with the completion of the Mocho Greenhouse Training Centre located in the former mining area.
The project, developed in conjunction with the Mocho Community Council, is funded by the Alcoa Foundation, Jamalco, Food for the Poor and the US Agency for International Development (US-AID) and supported by the HEART Trust/National Training Agency.
It is designed to provide training to farmers and prospective farmers in greenhouse technology or “protected farming,” and targets farmers from Mocho. The Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) reports that 72% of the population depends on farming for their livelihood.
Jamalco’s Manager of Corporate Services and Government Affairs Leo Lambert explains that the bauxite/alumina company and the Alcoa Foundation have invested some US$285,892 or just over J$25.5 million in cash and kind in the project over the last two years. “Jamalco mined bauxite in the Mocho area for many years and the Greenhouse Project which restores mined-out land to productive use, is a central plank in our sustainability strategy,” he explains.
Jamalco’s contribution to the project includes the value of the land on which the Centre is constructed and the value of in-house expertise in project management, engineering and construction provided to ensure that the facility meets and exceeds the required standard.
Located on a gently rolling hillside, the training facility consists of training rooms and administrative offices constructed by Food for the Poor at the top of the hill; six tunnel greenhouses spread out at intervals below these; and a water catchment pond and solar pump in the valley below the greenhouses. Piping takes the water to four 2000 gallon water tanks located at a high point above the greenhouses and irrigation infrastructure gravity feeds the precious commodity to the greenhouses.
Chairman of the project committee of the Mocho Community Council Enos Anderson believes that the project will bring a three-fold benefit to the community. “It will bring positive recognition to Mocho; it will provide some sustainable economic development for the community; and it will benefit the farmers in the area and trainees who will acquire greenhouse technology,” he says.
Also nearing completion is the training of twelve farmers who participated in a one year programme organized by Ebony Park HEART Academy at the centre in Mocho and at Ebony Park. The farmers will graduate with Level 2 certificates in Greenhouse Technology shortly, after participating in practical courses including constructing the greenhouses. They have completed twenty four courses covering all aspects of greenhouse technology and are awaiting final assessment to complete the programme.
Trainee Danesha Edwards says she found the programme both challenging and rewarding. “I learnt a lot and what I enjoyed most was interacting with the soil because I always love agriculture. I hope to get a job on a farm with greenhouses,” she adds.
HEART Coordinator Anthony Trout notes that the students were very receptive to the programme and that several will be involved in operating the greenhouse while others have job prospects on other farms locally and overseas. He explains that students also have the option of accessing further training from HEART to take them to Levels 3 and 4. Mr. Trout says that HEART has received over 100 applications for the next cycle of training at the Mocho Greenhouse Centre and will select 20 students for the programme.
The US-AID provided assistance valued at US$100,000 (almost J$9 million) through its affiliate organization Jamaica Farmers Access to Regional Markets (JA FARMS). In a recent project report Weston Moses, Chief of Party at JA FARMS, says the project will carry though the original plan of using the greenhouses as a business incubator. He says the students who are completing training will present business plans to run the greenhouses (2 students to one greenhouse) to ensure that the greenhouses are being used. He adds that “the students will cover the cost of all their inputs and repay a fee for the use of the greenhouse and they will also reap the profit from their crops.”
Mr. Lambert concludes that “the Mocho Greenhouse project is a model for sustainable community development that we propose to expand in the other communities in which we operate. We want to assist our neighbours to develop alternative and lasting income generating projects that will ensure their food and economic security.”
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