Organic Peanut Farming in Jamaica

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When Desmond Mortley heard about the opportunity to train farmers in Jamaica in organic peanut farming, he was ecstatic. He saw growth on the horizon for organic crop production in Jamaica. The professor of organic agriculture at Tuskegee University was sent to Jamaica for two weeks as a Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) volunteer in August of 2019, knowing that Jamaica had a very high potential for organic peanut production and that his work with women’s farmer groups there could help them tap into that potential.


Over the course of his assignment, Desmond trained 20 farmers at the Middleton Women’s Farmers Group and Ujima National Farmers Market the “dos and don’ts” of organic peanut production and gave them recommendations on how to improve their farming practices to improve yields.

As an expert in vegetable crop production and with experience in organic farming, Desmond recommended that the farmers at Middleton and Ujima do a few things to make their peanut harvests better. He saw that farmers needed to conduct soil testing to precisely apply organic fertilizers and lime to avoid empty peanut pods. Desmond also found that there was a need to create a seed bank through the Jamaican Ministry of Agriculture to supply peanut farmers with a steady source of seeds.


Desmond is hopeful that his work with Middleton Women’s Farmers Group and Ujima National Farmers Market will ensure the success of the farmers there. Jamaicans are becoming more aware of the health effects of chemical residues in food and the Jamaican Ministry of Agriculture is actively promoting sustainable agriculture, both of which encourage the growth of places like Middleton and Ujima. 

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