Teaching Composting Remotely to Cash Crop Farmers in Jamaica

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The members of the Crofts Hill Community in Clarendon, Jamaica, benefited from one of the pioneering pandemic-induced virtual assignments put on by USAID’s Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) program. The trainer was the well experienced William Zimmerman, a seasoned F2F volunteer who covered the areas of composting, organic pesticides, and organic fertilizers. Bill focused on thermophilic composting, BSF larvae, and vermiculture. 

The Crofts Hill Farmers Group has over 30 registered members and the group was reestablished in 2018 with the vision of building a “community in which all its residents are given the opportunity to grow with the facilities that allows each to reach their full potential”. The members are producers of cash crops including cabbage, pak choy, lettuce, yams, sugar cane and other minor crops. The group has a balanced mix of males and females with ages ranging from 15 to 65. 

Some of the problems they faced with their crops include high dependence on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, post-harvest loss of produce due to rot, and lack of marketing for produce. The training was very well received by the participants which not only included the members of the Crofts Hill Community, but also organic farmers, students, agriculture technical personnel and representatives from two local educational institutions. 


As a result of the assignment, some participants started their composting heaps and the people who were already established adjusted how they were doing their composting. Bill continues to assist the local Jamaican F2F office through his recommendations, and through extension partnerships with local agricultural initiatives. 

Zimmerman concluded that “Each USAID Farmer-to-Farmer assignment I complete around the world provides value to my personal vision and greater professional expertise to apply to my next assignment. The attendees of this remote training understood that my emphasis now and in-person is on improvement of Soil Organic Matter (SOM). My trip to Jamaica will follow similar F2F work with soil fertility, soil conservation, and climate-smart agriculture.”

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