For small farmers in the Caribbean islands, the choice seems obvious: Organic fruits and vegetables command higher prices than crops grown with synthetic pesticides. The U.S. and European markets for organic foods are growing at feverish speed. So, why not switch to organic farming?
ST. MARY, Jamaica — For small farmers in the Caribbean islands, the choice seems obvious: Organic fruits and vegetables command higher prices than crops grown with synthetic pesticides. The U.S. and European markets for organic foods are growing at feverish speed. So, why not switch to organic farming?
But as Jamaica's Robin Crum Ewing and other farmers have found, it's much easier said than done.
Going organic means cleansing the soil of chemicals over years, often without producing new crops, leaving farmers with little income in the meantime.
It requires periodic certification, which costs money, and, in some cases, involves flying in an inspector from abroad.
Plus, it demands careful documentation of procedures -- a tough task for many rural dwellers with limited education and no habit of strict record-keeping.
Little wonder then that the Jamaican Organic Agriculture Movement lags far behind its goal of turning 10 percent of the island's production organic by 2010. Today, perhaps 1 percent uses organic methods, with even a smaller portion certified organic, said the group's president, Dwight Robinson, an entomologist at the University of the West Indies who entered the field by studying how pesticides hurt the environment.
"It's sad that we get a lot of requests for organic products, such as mango puree or organic ginger, and we can now deliver only what I consider to be samples," Robinson said from his university office.
Visit the mountainside Green Castle Estate in St. Mary Parish on Jamaica's north coast to understand the difficulties.
Estate President Crum Ewing, whose grandparents emigrated from Scotland to Jamaica, proudly boasts the most acreage certified organic on all the island -- nearly 1,000 acres that produce coconuts, cocoa, limes and pimento, the key spice used in Jamaica's tasty jerk seasoning. But even so, Green Castle can't make a living off from organic farming.
Instead, the sprawling estate gets most of its cash from producing orchids with chemical pesticides in several large covered sheds. Plus, it's expanding into ecotourism to make ends meet, renting out a few rooms overlooking Annotto Bay to bird-watchers and nature lovers.
"Agriculture on its own could not pay the bills," laments Crum Ewing, who now also offers tours of the farm -- with its historic sugar mill and Taino Indian burial ground -- for visitors from nearby hotels.
To ease the transition to organic farming, Jamaica's government is starting to lend a hand -- just as many other governments do, aiming both to boost agriculture and help preserve the environment.
In December, Kingston allocated roughly $330,000 over three years for projects that include technical aid to farmers and funding for inspectors.
The government also wants to help with overseas marketing, since organic foods tend to use different distributors and different packaging than conventional produce, said officials at Jampro, the government's economic development group.
Still, for now, the chief problem in Jamaica remains too little supply of organic crops.
Advocates are hoping outreach efforts can first target select tropical products where the island faces limited competition overseas, including its renowned Blue Mountain coffee or its fiery scotch bonnet peppers.
Plus, as a step toward export longer term, they're starting to work with island hotels to provide vegetables grown without synthetics, even though the crops may not be certified as organic yet.
"Since the 1970s, agricultural outreach has heavily focused on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides to boost yields," said scientist Robinson. "Now, we're starting to teach about traditional farming, biodiversity and healthy soil. Having to re-educate farmers is difficult. It will take time."
To see more of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel -- including its homes, jobs, cars and other classified listings -- or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.sun-sentinel.com.
Source: Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
