The RADA/ Farmers/Hotel Programme began in 1996 with the involvement of a group of ten (10) farmers in St. Ann / Clarendon producing traditional and exotic vegetables of high quality specifically for an individual chain of hotels. These farmers were trained under an FAO/GOJ Post harvest Management Project in Improved production and post harvest management practices of vegetables.
A market driven production strategy was therefore developed to
· To improve the quality of produce being sold to the sector and to diversify the types of produce being purchased locally by the industry
· To develop a proper pricing arrangement between the two entities
· To improve the communication links between them.

The linkage between the farming and the tourism sectors has expanded to now involve six (6) farming groups located island wide - West Central in St. Mary, Mason River/Douglas Castle in St. Ann, Garlands and Mafoota in St. James, Gillards in St. Elizabeth and Santoy in Hanover; involving approximately seventy (70) farmers cultivating on ______ hectares of land.
The project started on a crop-lien basis for the first three years with the hotel chain providing planting material to four groups in existence and the farmers making the necessary repayment at the end of the cropping season.
The Santoy farmers’ Cooperative was conceived in 1998 and Garlands Community Production & Marketing Group in 2001. These two groups have excelled in their efforts and entrepreneurial skills to become successful production / marketing groups and so were presented with a Tourism Achievement Award 2003 during the Tourism Awareness Week under the theme “Tourism – A Driving Force for Poverty Alleviation, Job Creation and Social Harmony”(see citations). These two groups have also been assisted by international agencies to the tune of J$6.0 Million to expand their facilities by the construction of pack houses, cold storage, nursery, the provision of irrigation facilities and for Santoy to assist with purchasing a tractor and the purchasing of 3 hectares of communal land for Garlands. The other groups were also assisted with irrigation facilities or access to water sources.

All six groups combined supplied a total of 107,498kg of produce valued at approximately $5.5 Million for the period April 2002 – March 2003. The major buyers are Sandals Hotel Chain – Montego Bay, Ocho Rios and Negril; Super Clubs – Negril; Holiday Inn Sun Spree in Montego Bay and guest houses in the named parishes.

Major problems encountered by the farmers during the year were inconsistent supply due to unavailable water supply, inadequate storage and packing facilities, inadequate land preparation equipment. However with the grant of international funding it is hoped that these problems will be overcome in the following year.
Other constraints for rapid development of the groups are the strength of leadership, poor interpersonal relationship within the groups, lack of trust between members, lack of technical knowledge for improved production, post harvest management and marketing activities, lack of financial management skills and low financial base on which to build.

RADA continues to provide technical information to the farmers to ensure productive and efficient supply of produce as well as play an active supervisory role to ensure that the communication lines remain open between the farmers and the hoteliers.

Despite the constraints, it has been identified that the objectives of the programme are being achieved and stronger and more permanent linkages are being developed between the hotel sector and the farming communities.

For More Information on This Project Contact:
Mr. Byron Henry
Marketing Manager
Hope Gardens
9771158-63