Jamaica’s Opposition spokesperson for agriculture and fisheries, Dr Dayton Campbell, is pushing the government to establish a permanent dedicated fund to deliver rapid relief to farmers and fishers whose livelihoods are damaged by natural disasters and extreme weather events. Dr Campbell, who also serves as the Member of Parliament for Westmoreland Eastern, laid out this proposal during a sectoral debate session in Jamaica’s House of Representatives on Tuesday.
Campbell emphasized that Jamaica can no longer rely on ad-hoc relief mechanisms created after disaster strikes. Too often in the past, disaster support for agricultural producers has only been assembled following major events like hurricanes, floods or droughts, requiring rushed cabinet approvals and dependent on last-minute budget reallocations from the Ministry of Finance. By the time emergency funding is approved, many small producers have already lost their entire livelihoods, he argued.
Instead of this reactive model, Campbell proposed a standing national disaster recovery fund that receives annual allocations through the regular national budget, keeping it ready for immediate activation whenever the agriculture or fisheries sectors are hit by a climate event or disaster. Jamaica has long known it faces consistent climate risks including hurricanes, prolonged droughts, severe flooding, landslides, storm surges and outbreak of livestock and crop diseases, he noted. It is irresponsible to continue responding to these predictable, recurring risks with improvised, last-minute systems, the opposition lawmaker added.
Given the critical role that agriculture and fisheries play in upholding Jamaica’s national food security, Campbell stressed that the government cannot afford to delay planning until after damage is already done. A proactive, rather than reactive, approach is needed, and a permanent fund will shift the country’s disaster response from chaotic reaction to structured readiness, he explained. With a pre-funded permanent mechanism in place, the government will be able to deliver timely support to affected producers without forcing them to wait months for special budget allocations, supplementary funding approvals or public emergency appeals.
To guarantee operational accountability and readiness, Campbell proposed that the fund’s activation be guided by clear, pre-defined eligibility and trigger criteria. For example, the fund would automatically be unlocked when a verified extreme event causes sector damage that exceeds a pre-set threshold, with damage confirmation provided by official bodies such as the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management or the relevant government ministry. Having clear protocols and damage thresholds in place will give agricultural and fisheries producers greater confidence that support will arrive quickly and predictably through a transparent, established system when disaster hits, Campbell said.
Outlining five core objectives for the fund, Campbell first called for it to provide targeted emergency grants to small-scale farmers and fishers that have verified losses. One-size-fits-all support is inadequate, he noted: a farmer losing grain crops faces a different set of losses than one losing livestock, irrigation infrastructure, greenhouses or farm buildings, just as a fisher losing traps has different needs than one losing an entire boat, engine or full set of fishing gear.
Second, the fund should cover the replacement of critical productive assets required for producers to restart their work. For farmers, this would include tools, irrigation systems, water storage tanks, fencing, greenhouse building materials, livestock housing, farm machinery, seeds, seedlings, fertilizer, animal feed and livestock medication. For fishers, covered assets would include boats, engines, nets, traps, required safety equipment, coolers, storage containers and all other gear needed to return to fishing safely and in compliance with national regulations.
Third, Campbell recommended the fund provide temporary livelihood support to producers whose incomes are fully disrupted by disaster, while the fourth core objective would be to support rapid replanting of crops and restocking of livestock to speed up the sector’s recovery. The fifth and final objective would be to subsidize affordable insurance products for small farmers and fishers, including parametric insurance coverage tailored to common climate risks like hurricanes, drought and excessive rainfall.
Campbell stressed that for the fund to deliver on its promises, it must be well-structured, fully transparent and earn the trust of the producers it is designed to serve. It must not become another vague, discretionary programme plagued by delays or political favoritism, he said. Instead, it must operate according to clear rules, public timelines and formal accountability frameworks. Eligibility criteria must be published publicly, so that all farmers and fishers can understand who qualifies for support, what types of losses are covered, what documentation is required to file a claim, and what forms of support are available to them. The public must also have clear information on whether assistance will come in the form of grants, subsidies, low-interest loans, or a mix of these options, with an application process that is simple, accessible and responsive to the needs of struggling producers, Campbell added.