Project 1: Affordable Organic Mulch for
Sustainable Climate Change Adoption

Climate Change is negatively affecting agricultural production in Jamaica with drought conditions more becoming intense and extended. During the hot arid summer months, farmers, especially those in Central and Western parishes, face the common challenge of soil moisture retention.

To mitigate the challenge, the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) continues to implement large-scale irrigating farmlands in the form of Agro parks. Outside of these Agro parks, many smallholder farmers resort to trucking water to their farms and used the tried and proven technique of mulching (i.e. applied organic materials like grass on the soil surface) to reduce evaporation and maintain moisture levels. However, for the average farmer the cost and availability of mulch has become a challenge.

Agridiscovery Foundation has thus taken the initiative to spearhead development of an investment project aimed at:

Increasing the availability of price-competitive organic mulch to farmers and other end-users in Jamaica, thus bolstering sustainable adaptation to the negative impact of climate change.

This project will see the Foundation and its Alliance Member Five Sons Forestry Mulching conducting over 15 days, research on tree species, tree diameters, wood acidity, local topography, access roads etc. The data collected will guide determination of specifications and budgets for forestry and sub-soil mulching machines, other equipment and human resource requirements. The research will also seek to quantify the size of potential market segments for organic mulch.

Once completed Agridiscovery Foundation will prepare an investment profile of a business model that has clusters of trained rural women and youth entrepreneurs operating mulch-producing micro-enterprises. Investment in these enterprises will contribute to much needed economic growth in Jamaica. Investment sources will include private and public organizations and donor agencies. The project’s start-up date is the first quarter of 2026.