Greenhouses Take Jamaica's Horticulture Sector by Storm

As part of the USAID-funded Jamaica Business Recovery Program (JBRP), Fintrac introduced low-cost greenhouses to Jamaica's hurricane-battered horticulture sector.

On the heels of the successful IDEA project in El Salvador - where Fintrac assistance resulted in the construction of 48 low-cost greenhouses - Fintrac built ten demonstration greenhouses in Jamaica on lead-client farms and provided these farmers with weekly technical assistance and training.

Greenhouse technology is ideally suited for Jamaica, where many farmers have small or sloped plots of land with poor soil and limited water. Greenhouses offer better plant protection in extreme weather conditions, which have been a more common occurrence in Jamaica.

Melvin Medina, a Fintrac greenhouse specialist previously based in El Salvador, helped transfer low-cost greenhouse technology to Jamaica. "For Jamaica, this technology is very important because of the excessive rains from multiple storms over the past year," Medina said. "And, when it rains the prices go up and the people who have greenhouses can get very good returns."

Medina had to modify Fintrac's original greenhouse specifications to withstand Jamaica's harsh wind and rain. "We adapted the greenhouses for Jamaica because of the different weather conditions," Medina said. "We changed the way we install the plastic because of the wind in Jamaica."

Client greenhouses produce up to four times the yields of open-field production. The greenhouses allow for continued operation and high yields in extreme weather - such as Hurricane Dennis in August, Emily in September and island-wide heavy rains and Tropical Storm Wilma in October - and highlight the success of this component.

"Many of the program's clients are already building additional greenhouses," Medina said. "It's definitely catching on." Many farmers outside the program have contacted Fintrac for extension support to start their own greenhouse operations.

The low-cost greenhouses are 600 square meters in size and are constructed of lumber, wire, and plastic. Drip irrigation systems are required and many have netting to keep out insects. The greenhouses cost approximately $10,000 to build including labor, materials and drip irrigation - compared with imported greenhouses that can cost $30,000 or more.

Though the initial investment is substantial for a small farmer, payback is quick. Fintrac greenhouse growers in Jamaica were able to harvest about nine pounds of tomatoes per plant, compared to three to four pounds from open-field operations. Quality was better and postharvest losses were significantly lower. With an average of 1,500 plants per crop cycle, a typical greenhouse will produce 13,500 pounds of tomatoes, valued at $13,000, in just one crop cycle. Many farmers are now growing year-round to achieve even higher sales revenue per house.

Jervis Rowe, a greenhouse grower in Manchester, had been working with greenhouses before but his farm was devastated by Hurricane Ivan. "It was like my personal dream coming to reality. ... Fintrac for me was a rebirth. Fintrac eliminated the guesswork. They afforded me the luxury of knowing ... this is what works," Rowe said.

Rowe said that because of Fintrac, Jamaican farmers are getting a lot of information to help increase yields and produce better quality produce. He says that the success has enabled him and other farmers to sell to the higher-end markets like hotels and catering services. "We are actually producing crops that are better in quality than those we import," Rowe said. "This is the direction that we have to go."

Rowe sees tremendous potential for greenhouse production in Jamaica. After the success he had with his first greenhouse, he plans to construct three more by the end of the year. "I am laying the foundation for the business that I intend to do for the rest of my life," Rowe said. "With respect to everything I've seen in Jamaica to boost agriculture, this is the most beneficial program, and this is not just my view ... I can get about 300 people to back me up on this."

The St. John Bosco Boys' Home in Manchester, also battered by Hurricane Ivan, received one of the low-cost greenhouses under the program. The home, run by Sister Susan Frazer, houses 150 at-risk boys between the ages of 3 and 16, providing them a safe place to live, go to school, and learn a variety of trades. It's on-site poultry, pork, and catering programs not only provide on-the-job training for the boys, but is the primary source of funding for the home. Because of the greenhouse St. John Bosco is now able to offer the boys training in a new trade (greenhouse horticulture production) and provide the expanding greenhouse sector in Jamaica with a future source of trained labor.  

"This greenhouse has been a complete success, not only from the standpoint of the boys learning about more concentrated farming, but it is also becoming highly profitable," Frazer said. "We have been selling over 400 pounds of tomatoes each week. I am very, very grateful to Fintrac for this wonderful gift to continue to help sustain our efforts to feed our children as well as earn additional income to help support them in other ways."

To build on this successful program, Fintrac trained Jamaica's Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) officials to help other farmers establish greenhouse operations. "We as members of RADA will be able to take this technology to the other parishes that JBRP did not reach," said Executive Director Albert Shand. "In any business your success will depend on how efficiently you can produce. Productivity is the key and with greenhouses the productivity is far better than open-field production."