The Rural Economic Development Initiative (R.E.D.I)
PREPARATION PHASE (January 2009 Update)
Activities under the Preparation Phase of the Rural Economic Development Initiative (R.E.D.I) - formerly Second National Community Development Project (NCDP2) - are gaining momentum as the April 2009 completion deadline approaches. Under the Preparation Phase there are two components: Agriculture and Community Based Tourism Development.
Agricultural Component
Several objectives were accomplished under this component. These included:
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The hiring of Consultants during the months of September and October.
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The establishment of an Agricultural Technical Working Group with key stakeholders in the industry - senior representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Inter-American Institute on Agricultural Cooperation (IICA), Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), Jamaica Trade and Invest (JTI), and Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA). The Group will convene at regular intervals to provide strategic guidance to the project and ensure a coherent and harmonized policy environment.
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A Pilot Project - Small Farmer Productive Alliance Pilot – is underway in three parishes: St. Elizabeth, St. James and St. Ann. Pilot Operators have also been identified to work within each parish. They are: Jamaica Greenhouse Growers Association for St. Elizabeth, Walkerswood Foundation for St. Ann and Oxfam for St. James. Several activities will take place during this pilot,
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The administering of a survey with 60 farmers, aimed at describing farmer characteristics and activities with focus on their post-harvest and pre-market activities, their partnerships with other actors in the value chain and their ties with the broader community
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Capacity building interventions with a smaller selected group of 10 –15 farmers in each of the three parishes mentioned above. This will include among others training in business management, marketing, and disaster mitigation
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REDI also participated in the Jamaica Agricultural Society “Eat Jamaican Day” event held on November 25, 2008 at the Denbigh Showgrounds in May Pen Clarendon. This opportunity allowed REDI to introduce its objectives under the Agricultural component of the project to potential benefactors. While at this event a Consumer Survey questionnaire was administered to 30 persons with the findings highlighting the public’s desire for among others; higher safety standards, better quality, increased availability, and more competitive prices from farmers.
Community Based Tourism
Accomplishments under this component include the following:
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PA Consulting Group has been contracted to conduct a survey and assessment of community based tourism projects in nine parishes; Kingston, Manchester, St. Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Hanover, St. James, Trelawny, St. Ann and Portland.
A Tourism Technical Working Group was also formed with key stakeholders in the industry among which are: Ministry of Tourism (MOT), Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), Jamaica Business Development Center (JBDC), Social Development Commission (SDC). The Group will convene at regular intervals to provide strategic guidance to the project and ensure a coherent and harmonized policy environment.
Environmental and Social Safeguards Consultancy
In keeping with the JSIF’s commitment to sound environmental practices, the Project will be procuring the services of an Environmental and Social Safeguard Consultancy Firm. The main objective of this consultancy is to determine the sustainable and appropriate institutional arrangement needed to integrate the management of environmental and social safeguard issues during implementation of agricultural and community based tourism projects under REDI.
