The total acreage under organic production in CARICOM countries is low to non-existent compared to the rest of the world (see table), and this is a missed opportunity for the region. CARICOM appears to be the only organized group of countries in the world to have officially rejected organic agriculture, even as a possible policy option, yet the biggest market for … [Read more...] about The time for organic farming is now: a natural for small island economies
Jamaica
Putting biodiversity education in the fast lane in Jamaica
On a recent visit to a Jamaican School, I was transported back in time to my childhood. I grew up in a rural area. Our house sat in the middle of a quintessentially English village with gardens and fields, a river, rolling green hills which abruptly turn into limestone cliffs and then tumble into the sea. Given my rural upbringing in a particularly beautiful part of the … [Read more...] about Putting biodiversity education in the fast lane in Jamaica
The bucket challenge in Jamaica
Can you imagine yourself walking 500 meters or even a mile every day to get water to cover your basic needs? Can you imagine thinking that every drop you use has to be efficiently distributed between cooking, cleaning and personal use and just a minimal waste can represent another trip to the nearest community water pond or water truck? Five hundred meters it’s not such a long … [Read more...] about The bucket challenge in Jamaica
How Sustainable Tourism in Jamaica Opened Doors for Youth
If you had told me two years ago that my tourism project would lead me to be part of a team filming a video in a music studio, I wouldn’t have believed you. But that is precisely what happened, together with Jamoi, one of several young Jamaican men who had turned his life around with this project – a project which combined sustainable tourism in Jamaica and at-risk … [Read more...] about How Sustainable Tourism in Jamaica Opened Doors for Youth
Reggaenomics: Bob Marley’s legacy on Jamaica’s creative economy
On February 6, music fans around the world will celebrate what would have been the 70th birthday of reggae superstar Bob Marley. Although he was felled by cancer more than three decades ago, his legacy highlights pop culture’s impact on national identities and even on economies, says Jamaican radio host and culture critic Dermot Hussey, co-author of Bob Marley: Reggae King of … [Read more...] about Reggaenomics: Bob Marley’s legacy on Jamaica’s creative economy