Jamaican Agriculture within the Caribbean Community

Jamaica is a small Caribbean nation occupying the totality of its namesake island. With a total territory of almost 11.000 square kilometers, Jamaica is about the same size as Puerto Rico. Geographically, Jamaica is mainly mountainous and has an important coastline of more than 1.000 kilometers. Similarly, Jamaica has a total population of almost 3 million citizens living on the island, of which some 55% lives in a city or urban setting. Currently, the country’s annual gross domestic product (GDP) is of approximately US$20 billion and the country has experienced positive, though sluggish, economic growth throughout recent years. Furthermore, the country has a large and well-developed tourism industry accounting for almost 30% of the national GDP. The Jamaican national economy is divided into 7% agriculture, 21% manufacturing, and 72% services. However, the agriculture industry utilizes almost 42% of the national territory, while another 31% is forested. Likewise, the Jamaican agricultural industry employs 17% of the national labor force, while manufacturing employs about 19% and services employ another 64%. Jamaica’s location is central within the Caribbean and could serve as a trade bridge between the Antilles, Central America, and South America.

In terms of natural resources, Jamaica has bauxite, gypsum, and limestone. Within the manufacturing industry, Jamaica focuses on agricultural processing, light manufacturing, rum distilling, cement, metal, paper, chemical products, and telecommunications. Meanwhile, the island nation’s agricultural industry has as main products sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yam, vegetables, poultry, goats, milk, and shellfish. Similarly, alongside other former British colonies in the Caribbean, such as the Bahamas, Belize, and Barbados, Jamaica is a full member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Jamaica, as a full member of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy, participates in the single market that unites twelve, mainly insular, nations in the region. In terms of trade, Jamaica’s main partners are the United States, Canada, Venezuela, China, Trinidad and Tobago, and Russia, amongst others. This article explores the status of land distribution and cereals production in Jamaica.

Jamaican Agriculture within the Caribbean Community

In Jamaica, unfortunately, some 200.000 people suffer from undernourishment. Likewise, throughout recent years, the average per capita protein intake of animal origin in the country has been of 38 grams daily. Meanwhile, cereals, roots, and tubers represent about 40% of the food energy intake in Jamaica. Simultaneously, the land distribution within the country has evolved throughout the last half century. In 1961, permanent pastures and meadows in Jamaica covered almost 260.000 hectares, while arable land totaled more than 165.000 hectares, and permanent crops accounted for some 110.000 hectares. By 2014, permanent pastures and meadows in the country accounted for approximately 230.000 hectares, while arable land represented 120.000 hectares, and permanent crops accounted for some 95.000 hectares.

Finally, the domestic cereals market in Jamaica has transformed substantially throughout the last several decades. In 1961, Jamaica devoted some 9.700 hectares of land to the production of cereals and produced over 8.400 metric tons annually. Meanwhile, in 2014, Jamaica devoted approximately 2.200 hectares of land to cereals production and yielded more than 2.500 metric tons.

(Read more about Agriculture in Angola and OPEC Oil Production)