Growth & Jobs | JN Foundation sparks youth interest in vertical farming

A GROUP of high school students from across Jamaica participated in an eye-opening field trip, organised by the JN Foundation recently, following the foundation’s third annual Financial Academy Virtual Summer Camp.

The students, ages 12 to 17 years old, gained firsthand experience with vertical farming and other innovative agricultural practices at Tower Farms, located in Kingston. The field trip exposed students to modern farming techniques and encouraged entrepreneurial thinking driven by sustainability.

Jada Sinclair, a 16-year-old student from St Andrew High School for Girls, was particularly inspired by the experience. “Today’s field trip was very unique,” Sinclair said. “I’ve seen vertical planting on TikTok before, but this was my first time seeing it in real life. It’s making me feel very creative, especially in terms of business ideas.”

Sinclair, who is set to start sixth form soon, has her sights set on entrepreneurship. She’s already working on a maths tutoring business that she hopes will stand out in a competitive market.

“My idea is to create a website where teenagers tutor other students. I think it would be less intimidating for younger students to get help from someone their age.”

The field trip also made a strong impression on Reuel Allen, a 10th-grader from Manning’s School in Westmoreland, who expressed new-found respect for agriculture despite not initially being a fan of farming.

“The field trip was very informative. I never thought farming could be so innovative,” Allen said.

Dimitri Nelson, second-form student at Glenmuir High School in Clarendon, found the experience both educational and inspiring. “It was a new experience for me, and I really enjoyed learning about entrepreneurship in farming. It’s something I might consider as a part-time job in the future.”

However, it was the entrepreneurial values on display that caught 17-year-old Joshua Palmer’s attention. The Calabar High School student, who recently completed his Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate exams, found the field trip particularly inspiring. “From a business perspective, it was very informative. It taught me about the importance of persistence and dedication.”

The day was marked by discussions on sustainability, entrepreneurship, and the future of farming in Jamaica. Owners of Tower Farms, John Mark Clayton and Kerrie-Anne Gray, emphasised the importance of teaching young people farming skills that would not only serve them in their personal lives, but also contribute to the nation’s agricultural sector.

“Feeding yourself should be taught in schools. You should always learn how to be self-sufficient and resilient. Of course, this [kind of farming] will reduce the impact on the environmental issues that we are having,” said Clayton.

Gray added, “It’s important to teach kids that farming isn’t just about hard work and dirty boots any more. It’s about innovation, sustainability and creating opportunities for the future.”

Chevanese Peters, project coordinator at the JN Foundation, said she was happy the students had a rich experience from the field trip and stressed that farming, often seen as an outdated or unappealing career, is in fact a vital and innovative field that continues to be crucial to Jamaica’s future.

The students left the farm not only with new knowledge, but also with a deeper understanding of the opportunities that lie in entrepreneurship and modern agriculture. The two-part field trip also included a tour of the JN Bank Half-Way Tree branch, where the participants experienced innovative processes and technology used in modern banking. Many expressed an eagerness to explore these fields further, whether as a career or a personal hobby.

The field trip was the culmination of a virtual summer camp that was held by the JN Foundation recently under the theme ‘Building the Future Entrepreneur’.