JAS plans to go back to roots for 2021
Published:Monday | January 4, 2021 | 12:13 AM
The Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) is embarking on a mission this year to re-energise all its branches islandwide to make it more attuned to the needs of its members and the Jamaican society.
Formed in 1895 under the instruction of then Governor Sir Henry Blake to stimulate interest of all categories of farmers in the island in agricultural pursuits, and to establish a forum where all farmers could meet and discuss their problems to initiate plans, it is the oldest most deeply rooted organisation in rural agricultural development in the Caribbean.
However, First Vice-President Denton Alvaranga believes the organisation has been surpassed – and, in some cases, bypassed – in the delivery of services it once provided, especially in rural communities.
It is for this reason that the JAS – which has parish offices islandwide, and within its structural framework an Association of Branch Societies (ABS) that consists of branches within the farming communities – must return to its roots, said Alvaranga.
“We are not where we want to be and COVID-19 has, to a large extent, affected our membership. We need to have a very strong base in order to serve the people at the community level, and it is only then that we will be able to function at full capacity,” he told The Gleaner.
A wake-up call has also come from the Government and non-government organisations, Alvaranga admitted, which have directed the JAS to better reorganise and realign itself so that it can access grant aid and benefit from a number of projects. These include training in areas such as climate change and rain water harvesting.
In 1941, the JAS was incorporated as a private voluntary organisation and is an agency of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. It serves as an umbrella organisation consisting of varied affiliated commodity boards and associations.
The need to reorganise is urgent since the Government, which pays staff and provides a subvention, has indicated that it wants to divest itself of these responsibilities.
To this end the JAS will be moving to take stock of its assets islandwide with a view to maximise its income and expand its reach within the many rural communities it serves.
That mission is on in earnest, Alvaranga said.