Agriculture sector strategy report [for USAID/Jamaica]

This report provides an overview of the kind and magnitude of the problems faced by the sector and outlines USAID/Jamaica"s development strategy. The author traces the agricultural sector"s continued problems to several factors, including: (1) land tenure conditions (specifically, small hillside parcels that are leased or rented and which inhibit farming productivity, limit smallholder income, and make long-term credit difficult to obtain); (2) inadequate development and transfer of agricultural technology; (3) the resulting decline in Jamaica"s market share in crops which have traditionally been exported (e.g., sugar, bananas, and coffee); and (4) neglect of the sector both by policymakers and by a people who view farming as an unattractive occupation. Mission strategies to raise the incomes of the rural poor, increase foreign exchange earnings from agriculture, and maintain the natural resource base are outlined, together with several project initiatives designed to implement this agenda: the Hillside Agricultural Project Extension, the Agricultural Sector Strengthening Project, and the Agricultural Export Development Project. Also mentioned are possible support for agricultural education and activities to protect biodiversity. Includes copies of background documents on the macroeconomic situation, the agricultural sector, and current A.I.D. and other donor programs.