7 months ago
48
Relatives of Lundine Anderson of Trouble Hill currently live on sections of his 100-acre farm, allowing them to keep watch over his crops.
That solved some of his farm-theft problems, but last November he lost about 20 per cent of his coffee crop due to heavier-than-usual rains. That’s 500 lost boxes of coffee of the 2,500 boxes his farm in the Jamaica Blue Mountains has the capacity to produce.
“Farm theft will always be around,” said Anderson. “You can put in measures in place to reduce it.”
But as for Mother Nature, “you cannot do much about that,” he said.
The Development Bank of Jamaica, DBJ, has launched a study to better understand the two disparate risk factors that persistently impact farms. It’s in the process of hiring a consultant to conduct an economic study on the effects of climate change and farm theft, also known in the industry as praedial larceny, on the agricultural sector.
By itself, however, farm theft might be a behemoth.
“The impact of praedial larceny is unclear; however, industry experts have estimated between $5 billion and $10 billion on the lower end and as much as $25 billion per annum, when inflationary and other economic and security costs are considered,” the development bank said in tender documents for the consultant.
The DBJ added that existing data on praedial larceny is likely to be affected by “under-reporting” and is lacking in detail that’s relevant for assessing the problem.
As a result, the bank is inclined towards the view that previous policy strategies implemented to tackle farm theft may not have been adequately guided.
Many things have been tried over the years, both at the policy and legislative levels, as well as by farm operators, to bar thieves from properties.
The most recent effort is surveillance of farms utilising drones equipped with infrared technology. The authorities have previously implemented a receipt book, animal identification tagging programmes, and set up a praedial larceny prevention unit headed by the police, and made amendments to the Agricultural Produce Act, or APA, but farm theft continues to be a multibillion-dollar problem.
“Research is needed to determine the actual economic loss suffered, the subsectors affected by praedial larceny, the nature of and methodologies used in the commission of praedial larceny crimes, and the impact of the strategies previously employed,” DBJ noted.
As for climate change, the development bank called it “an existential threat to humanity, inclusive of food and nutrition security,” saying its impact “further exacerbates the risks (real and perceived) associated with the agricultural sector”.
Climate change refers to the heating of the earth towards temperatures deemed unsustainable for comfortable living and productive farming. The carbon gases that are emitted from factories, cars, planes and so on, rise into the atmosphere and forms a layer of gas that, similar to a greenhouse, prevents heat from escaping. The heat then recirculates, making the climate hotter. And since heat drives weather, it also creates heavy flooding and intense hurricanes.
The earth’s temperature, which is already trending at record levels, is expected to get even hotter over the next few decades.
DBJ described as “ ad hoc and fragmented” the agricultural sector’s response to the changing climate. Drought mitigation measures, for instance, are usually “reactive and not pre-emptive,” it said.
The tender document provided no estimate of the cost of climate change impacts on the economy. It noted, however, that over the years, natural disaster events have resulted in losses of one to 10 per cent of agricultural output.
The rains last November reportedly cost the coffee sector $500 million (about US$3 million), which was equivalent to 11 to 12 per cent of total coffee exports valued at US$26 million in 2022.
Applicants have up to May 24 to bid for the DBJ consultancy contract.
English (US) ·