THE JAMAICA 4-H Clubs is to establish a second goat farm in St. Elizabeth at Roehampton, at a cost of $700,000. The first one was set up at Warminster.
This project is being funded by Ridge to Reef, a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) project operating in western Jamaica. About 10 pure bred Nubian, which have been imported from the United States of America, will be placed on the farm.
This was revealed last week by Senator Norman Grant, Chairman of the Jamaica 4-H Clubs, at the annual general meeting of the Goat Breeders Society, held at the Bodles Research Station in Old Harbour, St. Catherine.
"The goat rearing programme is an attempt by the 4-H Movement to give primacy to a sector that has great potential, and to encourage clubbites from as young as 9 years to get into goat rearing," Mr. Grant said.
He noted that the 4-H Clubs had been promoting goat care and management among clubbites between nine and 25 years of age.
The Senator called on members of the Goat Breeders Society and the Ministry of Agriculture to continue the campaign to encourage more young people to do goat rearing.
He also noted that the 4-H Movement had created a loan programme for clubbites to encourage them to begin projects in agriculture and environmental promotion. Under the programme, clubbites are able to apply and qualify for loans of between $15,000 and $50,000. The programme is being funded through the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
Mr. Grant said the Movement was currently identifying young persons who had projects and were serious about agriculture production, for land to be allocated to them under the Emancipation Land Project, announced by Prime Minister P.J. Patterson.
"We have sent one set of list to the Minister of Agriculture and we are having dialogue with him to see how these lands can be allocated to the young farmers," Mr. Grant said.
"It is important to get young people off the corners, off the streets, and get them back on the land," he emphasised.
