J$149 Million Drought Mitigation Programme for Farmers in Jamaica

Jamaica's Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining implemented a J$149 million drought mitigation programme to protect farmers from prolonged drought conditions. The programme includes trucking water to affected agricultural areas, constructing catchment ponds free of cost in areas used by farmer groups, and providing pond liners free of cost to individual farmers who undertake the excavation themselves. The intervention adopts a preventive approach to drought, improves agricultural water availability and storage, and reduces the vulnerability of agricultural production to dry climatic conditions.