This report assesses and identifies solutions with special relevance for smallholder farmers: DRR good practices that work at farm-level and which, with small investments, can have a significant positive impact on the resilience of their livelihoods. It evaluates the cost-effectiveness and socio-ecological suitability of different specific DRR interventions, with the …
KINGSTON, Jamaica-- Minister of Health Dr Fenton Ferguson says J$12 million is set to address the spread of the Chikungunya virus that is currently threatening the country. Dr Ferguson speaking at the Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange said that his ministry is embarking on a joined-up Government initiative with the Local …
GOVERNMENT appears to be winning the war against tobacco cultivation, with the Ministry of Agriculture reporting a decline in the amount of land currently under production. Chief technical director in the ministry Dermon Spence told the Jamaica Observer that preliminary figures for 2014 show a 43 per cent decrease in …
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Officials in the mining industry are to announce Wednesday (August 20) a decision to curtail quarry operations along the Rio Minho in Clarendon. A statement from the Mines and Geology Division explained that the decision follows repeat inspections and technical assessment of the presence of sand in …
KINGSTON, Jamaica—Opposition Spokesperson on Local Government, Desmond McKenzie is calling on the Ministers of Local Government and Health to take immediate steps to deal with the pile up of garbage in the Corporate Area and other communities around the country especially in light of the heightened risk of an outbreak …
KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Ministry of Health has reported two more cases of the chikungunya disease in Jamaica. This has brought to four the number of cases that health officials are now addressing. The latest cases were from local transmission as the infected persons had no history of travel outside …
Japan is providing US$15 million to help several Caribbean Community (Caricom) countries cope with the impact of climate change. The "Project for Japan-Caribbean Climate Change Partnership" will help Guyana, Grenada, Jamaica, Suriname, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia, Dominica and Belize build the capacity to cope with climate change. …
KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Ministry of Health Monday announced that, $389 million will be spent on rehabilitating a number of sewage treatment plants at hospitals across the island as part of phase two of a sewage treatment project. The ministry says existing mechanical systems will be refurbished under this phase …
HEALTH Minister Dr Fenton Ferguson says that the Government is in the process of preparing a proposal for US$19 million in grant aid towards financing the country's HIV response programme to the middle of 2018. "We are in the process of preparing our proposal for the grant to take effect …
The Ministry of Health has established a committee to monitor the threat of the Chikungunya virus to the island. The committee is headed by Director, Emergency, Disaster Management and Special Services, Dr Marion Bullock Duccasse, and meets weekly to discuss that and other matters, Minister of Health, Dr Ferguson said …
The National Water Commission (NWC) says it will be restoring underground wells in the Corporate Area as part of efforts to alleviate recurring water shortages. NWC Vice-President of Operations, Mark Blair, who made the disclosure during today’s (July 3) Jamaica House press briefing, said that the restoration work will begin …
FIFTEEN schools and three Government agencies should soon see considerable reductions in their energy bills as the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) will be installing Solar PV Systems at public sector buildings at a cost of more than $62 million. Minister of State in the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy …
RESIDENTS of Douglas Castle in McNie, St Ann, although far removed from many major towns, have joined several groups working to combat the effects of global warming as decreased rainfall in the farming community causes major soil erosion when it does rain. Community members have happily joined an initiative funded …
THE South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) last Friday identified eight communities in rural St Andrew where water provided by the National Water Commission (NWC) is not safe for drinking and urged residents to boil or use bleach to treat water used for domestic purposes. The health authority issued the …
GRAND Palladium Resort and Spa in Hanover is set to save over $80 million (roughly US$730,000) in energy costs per year with the recent installation of a solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant at the resort, renewable energy company Sofos Jamaica Ltd has announced. It was Sofos that installed the system, …
More than 700 residents in Giblatore and adjoining areas in St Catherine, are benefitting from a rain water harvesting system, established at a cost of $27 million. The project was funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), with inputs from the St Catherine Development Agency, and the Giblatore Combined Benevolent …
Government has allocated $50 million to the National Works Agency (NWA) to implement mitigation measures for the 2014 hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30. Communications Manager at the NWA, Stephen Shaw, said that $20 million of the amount will be spent in the South Eastern parishes …
Operators of the Grand Palladium Resort and Spa in Hanover says that the facility set to save over J$80 million in energy cost per year from the installation of a solar PhotoVoltaic (PV) power plant. The solar power PV plant said to be the largest in Jamaica to date was …
Sri Lanka is the highest user of agro-chemicals in the world. It uses 287 units of agro-chemicals per hectare, whereas Myanmar used only eight units and Bangladesh 144 units per hectare, World Health Organization Geneva Non-Communicable Diseases Director, Prof. Mrs. Shanthi Mendis, has declared. Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) General …
Billions of people could be living in regions where temperatures are hotter than their historical ranges by mid-century, creating a "new normal" that could force profound changes on nature and society, scientists said on Wednesday. Temperatures in an average year would be hotter by 2047, give or take 14 years, …
The three-day Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2011 ended Sunday endorsing the importance of taking urgent action on climate change and global food crisis. Reflecting on the unique nature of the Commonwealth, a voluntary association which brings together 53 (Fiji's membership remained suspended) developing and developed nations from six …
