Jeffrey Town Farmers Association Limited

Church Corner
Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. Did you ever had a large blanket when you were a small child? When it is soiled, old and torn you always clung to it? Sometimes when you are older and the rain is pelting on the roof, a thunderstorm is raging outside, lights are out and you are left in utter darkness you yearn for that blanket to comfort you? We have all been there, when we possessed an inanimate object that seemed to wipe away all our worries and fears out of our lives. The downside to these lifeless objects is that one day they will be destroyed and we will be left comfortless. But there is a comforter that will never fade, one that you will never get too old for, one that will always be around when you desire a little warmth and that comforter is Jesus. During our hurricanes (whether financial instability, marital issues, emotional traumas) God is concerned and He is working it out for you. When we pray for comfort, the Holy Spirit presents Himself to lift our hearts and remind us the Jesus is walking by our sides at all time and He charges us to go forth and be comforters to those who do not know Him or those too weak carry on.

COMMUNITY DIASTER RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP

The third disaster risk management workshop was to be held on the 1st of November but was postponed following a car accident involving our facilitator Mrs. Gordon. We re-group on the 3rd of November and continued from the last workshop. We dialogued on issues about government buildings and churches that are suitable to house people in a case of a disaster. We also touched on the point of a suitable disaster sound for community members so that they would recognize it in an event of a disaster. The group also thought of a collection drive to have supplies that are in good order to keep in stock for emergencies. The group examined the smaller communities within Jeffrey Town to find their boundaries namely; Decoy, Wallingford, Maidenhall, Top Road, Barker, Coffee Walk, Carter Mountain. Finally for this meeting we elected persons to carry out specific duties in the event of a disaster. These persons accepted their duties and responsibilities to help make their community safe from disasters; 19 persons were present at this workshop and we reconvene Tuesday 29 November. ROMAE ORMSBY

JEFFREY TOWN BULLETIN

Email us at: jeffreytownfarmers@gmail.com Streaming on the internet @ www.jetfm.listen2myradio.com

Jeffrey Town Farmers Association Limited

November 2011 Issue $30.00

Farmers Forum
November 22 at the forestry offices in Kingston; farmers, RADA
officers and Meteorologists from UWI Cave Hill Campus and our own specialist based at Norman Manley weather station met for the first of two farmers forums in Jamaica in the ninth of ten participating Caribbean states. The session was led by University lecturer Adrian Trottman.

How Close is the Election?

A view on voting by Dennesha Cormack
Worldwide, young people getting involved in politics is very rare and for me its no exception, I have never voted before and to be frank I have no intention to ever vote, one might say I am throwing away my rights but who cares, after all, a person doesnt just get up and do something out of the blue, no matter how small. They must have a reason and as for voting, politicians havent given me that reason to vote.

Olivia Derrett

The signatories of the first prayer and fasting held at

the JTFA Building November 22 in preparation for the new format of First Flight beginning December 2011 on your community radio station Jet FM 88.7.

Inspiration Corner
Opportunity is missed by most people because it's dressed in overalls and looks like work. Thomas Edison
Wholesale Chicken available at the JTFA Building Call 356 8271

The Caribbean Agro Meteorological Initiative project is being funded by the European Union and is designed to help farmers understand the basics of weather forecasting, to introduce both farmers and extension officers to the Politicians are like a one night stand, right across the world they are three and six month forecasts now being generated at the UWI, and to known for their words and less of their actions, they have failed to recognize that we the younger generation have grown and gone are the days when grownups could use candy to catch a child, this is no longer substantial, so politicians need to dig deeper and come with something new like more jobs opportunities. Can you imagine a child just leaving school; applying for a job and getting turned down for of lack of experience, come on now, how can we get such experience if employers wont give us a chance. Instead of bribing people with one day money for their votes why not offer them a job which would last much longer and even give us the urge to stand by your party at each election.

Mouth Watering

Technical difficulties
with our transmitter prevented us being on air for three day toward the end of the month and to have limited signal for a period. We are doing all we can to rectify the situation and apologies for any inconvenience caused.

Stagga Back
Sugar, coconut, ginger and spices

gather information that farmers feel weather forecasters could give that would help them make decisions about planting selections and planting times. The idea is more relevant now due to the effects of climate change. We learned that over time our temperatures will get hotter, the rain fall will most likely decrease but when the rain does fall it will fall more heavily. We also learned that sea levels are rising and will continue to do so, the implications here for farmers is the salt affecting the water table. Any or all of these effects will make crop yields decrease and reduce profitable farming. Much of the information is technical as shown in the charts above, hence the training, so that the information can be understood. JTFA is now on the mailing list to get the expected weather trends for the Caribbean, each will tell us if the rainfall is most likely to be normal, below normal or above normal. This means that we should know if a really dry spell is expected, or if the dry spell is likely to be drier than normal or drier for longer. We commit to publishing the most relevant pieces of information when we receive it. According to the forecast shown to us at the forum is that the upcoming forum the weather in terms of rainfall for the next three months

The prime minister is said to be the leader of the country but how can you lead a set of people you dont know, how can you provide for them and you dont know their needs, ok yes the prime minister cant be everywhere but thats why we have MPs and yet some young people have never met with their MP. As the saying goes, the children are our future but contrary to that saying, how much are our leaders really doing to find out what the younger generation need to have a brighter tomorrow. I feel they should stop talking for once and listen, get to know the people and hear their views, we are tired of our leaders empty promises, a little trust would be good and when we can trust our leaders to deliver then they can trust us to vote. Too many young people are lacking the basics; such as education, food, shelter, money and those who are more fortunate are lacking a way forward and have to settle for the family business and land; yet another diploma, degree or even master gone down the drain. There are so many young talented people out here who are filled with great ideas which could be beneficial to community or even the country on a whole and just need that one little push, a little ray of hope: instead of bribing people try investing in a child and watch their dreams and ideas come to reality then winning the election just might be the thanks you get. Once politicians can gain the young peoples trust, provide job opportunities, listen to us for once, give us a little hope of a brighter tomorrow and pave the way forward for us then I believe more young people would come out and vote.

Available Wholesale Order Yours Now!

This is a publication of the Jeffrey Town Farmers Association Limited printed by The Jeffrey Town Multimedia Centre 2011 Tel. # 876-823-3057 or for the radio station Jet 88.7FM # 876-618-1828

Breadfruit Festival July 15 2012 Make a note in your Diary

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JEFFREY TOWN

November 2011 Issue

Page 3

Choosing Pesticide Wisely

Do you really need a pesticide? Healthy plants are less susceptible to attack by pests, and good cultural practices can reduce pest outbreaks.

How Do Trees Benefit the Community?

Trees play a major, but often silent, role in our lives. DID YOU KNOW THAT. An average of 20 hectares of trees are needed to absorb the carbon released from one car over its lifetime. Car owners-how many trees have you planted?

Global Environment Facility, small grants programme

project proposal was submitted 14 October. Mr. Gordon and Romae went to the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica Building, on Thursday November 10 2011 to make a presentation to the board member of the Global Environment Facility, GEF small grants. The Board was excited to hear what Jeffrey Town had to say. We had a power point presentation of 5 slides to help us with our project ideas. Romae made the presentation and Wordsworth Gordon answered all the questions of the panel. Some board member who had never visited Jeffrey Town promised to visit. they wished us good luck in our project and we kept our fingers crossed until the results came in. ROMAE ORMSBY

Before you purchase any pesticide, you should answer some important questions Is the damage actually caused by a pest? Could it be the weather or a cultural practice, such as over- under watering, fertilizer, or herbicide damage etc If it is a pest, what kind is it? Insect ? Disease ? Rodent ? Are there non-chemical ways to control it? Is the damage severe enough to warrant chemical control? Is pesticide use cost-effective? Or would the chemical treatment cost more than the plant is worth? Can the pest be controlled by a chemical at this stage of its life cycle, or would application at a different time be more effective? Remember, just because you see insects does not mean that insects are a problem. Proper identification of the problem is essential before you select any type of control. Ask your Extension Officer if you

Trees release oxygen for people to breathe. Trees absorb carbon dioxide- a gas which contributes to the destruction of the ozone layer. Trees clean the air by trapping dust and smoke particles. Trees are homes for birds and animals. Trees act as a buffer against the wind and offer shade from the hot sun. Trees make a good picnic spot. Trees can provide fruit for family consumption Trees can increase property values and increase community pride. Trees can reduce traffic noise and
TREES ARE SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL! PLANT A TREE TODAY! Orane Brown

Our proposal and presentation were successful; we received written confirmation 16 November and expect to start project activities in early January 2012 with a public meeting to inform the wider community of the activities to come and finalize the types of trees and their location for the reforestation aspect of the project. Here are the highlight of expected outcomes and benefits of the project we expect to achieve over the next two years. 8 solar panels and batteries for the JTFA Building 3 solar powered street light s for the community 8 community training sessions 15 acres of reforestation Drainage of Bascoe and 1 Acre ponds 1/2 mile of cleared drainage channels with check dams leading from the pond Raised compost bed and mushroom house at the organic site. Vacuum packing machine for the womens group New environmental radio programme series to be aired on Jet FM.

These pictures show the areas of main concern to be addressed by the GRF project which will commence in early January 2012 the ground soaking at Bascoe and One acre ponds to be drained. On the hillside above the gabion basket wall to be constructed under the partner project detailed below. This same hillside will benefit from four acres of reforestation and the majority of the check dams.

Project activities continue with EFJ; more than half of the stone has been picked and delivered to the site. Excavation is the next activity.

The Transformation of Gender Role

The transformation of the role of breadwinner from male to female has been on the increase in Jamaica. Where have the men gone! Surprisingly enough, it not that more men are dying or going to prison, but more men are taking a back seat approach to the taking care of the needs of their families. Some of the reasons for this are: lack of job opportunities, lack of education and skills training and plain old laziness. With more women graduating from colleges and universities, they attract more job opportunities than their male counterparts. Consequently, this leaves the bulk of the pressure on the women to provide for the family. Yes it is evident, jobs are hard to get. Regardless, the family has to eat, so why should it be left to the woman alone to bear this burden. It is quiet often said, every mikkle mek a mukkle. This simply means that if a couple lives together; they should share the bulk of the expense. Even if the woman is working more money than the man, the little he brings in can go a long way in dealing with expenses. Back in the days the stereotype of the breadwinner was particularly prevalent in Caribbean masculinity, but when the employment opportunities available became limited men in Jamaica, used to migrate elsewhere to provide for their families. The increase in single parent households headed by mothers has lead to the increase in males growing up to neglect their responsibilities of providing for their families. Some single mothers have neglected their responsibilities to instill the values in their young sons to grow up to be functional care givers and providers for their family; thus, causing a break down in family values and by extension the society at large. This needs to be stopped! Mothers need to stop babying your sons and show them the real value in being a man. Talk to your sons, instill good work ethics and let them know the role of the man in the family. Help them get involved, share the work and responsibility; give a hand, youd be surprised how different, how much better the society will. Cabbrina Lennox

Wordsworth Gordon will be the project manager and we will form a committee to oversee the activities made up of a RADA representative, a member of the community and four members of the JTFA executive. This bulletin will keep you updated on all activities.