This project looks at the paradox of Jamaican agriculture: an abundant supply of fish, fruits and vegetables while farmers struggle to find financial success.
Food Security: On the Cusp of a Crisis in Jamaica
Published January 11, 2012
It's a frustrating irony for Jamaica: a fertile land with the ability to produce an abundance of fruits and vegetables is increasingly reliant on cheap agricultural imports that drive the country's farmers out of business. As Jamaica lifts its trade restrictions, foreign products flood the market. Jamaicans say locally produced food tastes better, but most still opt for the lower-priced foreign alternatives. The country's growing dependence on exports exposes it to the whims of international markets and jeopardizes its food security.
Julia Rendleman, a Pulitzer Center student fellow, traveled to Jamaica to for her project Agriculture and Jamaica’s Rural Poor that examines the impact of foreign agricultural imports on the country's farmers.
Nearly a fifth of working Jamaicans are employed in the country's agriculture sector, but farmers are struggling to make ends meet because cheap imported products are driving down local food costs.
Like many other Jamaican dairy farmers, Oral Rayson is dumping thousands of gallons of milk down the drain because imported powdered milk has become a cheaper alternative for locals.
Gateways
Student Fellow
Julia Rendleman grew up in southern Illinois. She graduated with a degree in political science from Loyola University New Orleans in 2002 and lived in New Orleans until 2004. For four years she...
