Project assistance completion report : small farmer production and marketing project

Catherine's Vegetable Producers' Association (SCVPA) in Jamaica as a small farmer producer and marketing organization (PMO). Despite numerous problems, the project can be seen as a relative success with some solid achievements. The SCVPA was formed and received training in areas such as pesticide use, packaging of agricultural produce, recordkeeping, and water application. SCVPA procured farm inputs at competitive prices for sale to its members, provided postharvest storage for produce, harvesting, and operated a packing facility which reduces postharvest losses and acts as a quality control center for produce from the SCVPA and other PMO's. The project had a significant impact on its targeted beneficiaries -- small farmers with 1-5 acres. Some level of planned production was attained, crops were diversified, and incomes raised. Project training has created a business-like atmosphere among farmers and formulated a systematic approach to agriculture in a small farmer setting. On the negative side, SCVPA failed to become self-sustaining or to stimulate farmers to produce sufficient quantities of high- quality products for the available markets. Several factors contributed to these shortcomings. (1) Some SCVPA leaders were alienated when USAID/J shifted the project strategy from establishing a PMO around a few larger farmers to targeting small farmers. (2) Supply of irrigation water was severely delayed. Bushy Park received no water until nearly 3 1/2 years after project start and other areas have not yet received water. As a result, the project had to purchase non-SCVPA fresh produce in order to effectively utilize the packing house, vehicles, staff, and supporting equipment provided. (3) There was initial confusion and competition among involved organizations. (4) The project received four extensions due to natural phenomena (floods in 1986 and Hurricane Gilbert in 1988) without modifying the already weak project design. The inability of the SCVPA Board to hire a suitable local manager also hampered the project. The clear benefit of this project to Jamaica may be as an example of an institutional form not to invest in in the future. The project created a cooperative that is not sustainable. It would be better to promote private marketing companies with proven cost-effectiveness instead of creating new institutional forms which cannot work without subsidies, price distortions, and some form of monopoly. The PMO concept does not at the present time seem viable in Jamaica. The number of beneficiaries (350 SCVPA members of whom 100-120 are active at any one time) was very low relative to the life of project budget (U.S.$1,060,000). This is in stark contrast to the private sector's performance when left to fend for itself. The individual higgler system in particular works well in Jamaica.