Approximately 150 farmers have bought into the concept of greenhouse farming introduced on mined-out lands in Watt Town, St Ann, by Discovery Bauxite Partners.
Public and community relations superintendent at Discovery Bauxite Kent Skyers says the greenhouse concept, first introduced by the company in 2016, has proven to be an attractive alternative for farmers who were experiencing difficulties with regular drought conditions and were at first cautious about farming on mined-out lands.
The farmers have used the technology to raise a wide range of products for sale to local, overseas and tourism industry markets. Crops grown include sweet peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, tomatoes, cabbages, and cauliflower.
"Our greenhouse model has been so successful that it has become the flagship for expansion by the Jamaica Bauxite Institute (JBI) and the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), to other areas in the industry in Manchester, Clarendon, St Catherine and St Elizabeth," said Skyers recently as he welcomed more than 100 students of the Servite Primary School on a tour of the company's greenhouse agricultural cluster established at Watt Town in partnership with local farmers.
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