Environmental research

This project is aimed at increasing community-level capacity to adapt to climate change through implementation of sustainable agricultural practices in targeted communities on the slopes of the Blue Mountains. This will reduce the vulnerability of the communities to increased climate change-driven erosion risks, and decrease livelihood pressures that may lead farmers to clear and or cultivate protected areas further upslope, and contribute to sustainable agro ecosystem management. Two communities have been selected with major focus on Woodford and Cascade. Woodford is a hillside community of about 1,800 persons in northern St. Andrew, just below the Holywell Recreation Area in the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park (BJCMNP). The majority of the community members are farmers growing mainly cash crops, bananas, and the world renown Blue Mountain coffee, whilst some have jobs in Kingston and others own shops in the community. This community is located in the mid-reaches of the Wag-Water watershed which feeds the Hermitage Dam, an important water supply for Kingston. Cascade has a population of about 800 persons locate in the upper Buff Bay Valley, just outside the BJCMNP. The majority of the community members are farmers of cash crops inlcuding scallion, thyme and Blue Mountain Coffee. Most of the farmers work seasonally on large coffee farms. Both communities are very close to Holywell, the main recreation area of the National Park. The communities farm on steep slopes, often using unsustainable agricultural practices e.g. slash and burn. They are already at risk from soil degradation which is reducing the productivity of their farms, and these will be increased by climate change-driven soil erosion and landslides, as rainfall of high intensity falls during severe weather, after long periods of drought. This trend was evidenced by the impacts of hurricane Ivan (2004) and hurricanes Dennis and Emily (2005). The planning grant will facilitate the measurement of baseline indicators including vulnerability reduction assement indices, and drafting of full proposal for later submission. The project is being implemented by the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust (JCDT)

Jamaica