Environmental policy and administrative management

Recent changes in the international economy, such as the liberalization of the trading regimes for primary agricultural products, in particular banana, by the European Union, have serious implications for small Caribbean countries that, like Jamaica, rely on exports of one or a few commodities and are unable to compete in free markets. However, countries could reposition their agricultural sectors to take advantage of export niche markets and/or growing regional and tourism markets. In this regard, the approach recommended in the ECLAC study from 2004 Free Trade and the Development of Sustainable Agriculture in the Caribbean is the sustainable farming using organic methods of production. This type of farming sustains the livelihood of farming communities as well as preserves the environmental resources. Another major problem that Jamaica is facing is the decline in soil fertility and the lack of increase in arable land as a result of intensive production from the 1960s as countries sought to maintain and/or increase export earnings. Significant quantities of artificial fertilizer were used to improve soil fertility and maintain crop yield. Significant reliance on chemical pesticides was also developed on account of past agricultural practice, which resulted in the growth of pest population. As a result, Jamaica is also faced with the problem of increased pest resistance. The full impact of the global economies is increasing the levels of youth unemployment. The slow growth of the Jamaican economy is not only affecting the integration of young people into the labour market, but also the composition of labour demand. The emphasis in youth labour market policy has been laid on the development of vocational training programmes for those with a basic level of education or skills. Young people leaving school with few or no qualifications have tended to be ignored, although recent initiatives have begun to target this particularly disadvantaged group. Finally, the scale of the response does not match the scale of the problem: the number of people on training and employment programmes is simply too low to have any significant impact on youth unemployment levels.

Jamaica