Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC)
executives were witnesses to the launch of the National Grow Castor
Bean Project on Wednesday March 22, 2017 at the Terra Nova Hotel in
Kingston. The Project is being managed by the Urban and Rural Ministry
of the Jamaica Baptist Union Mission Agency, which used the occasion to
announce the start of the project being funded by an overseas donor to
the tune of US198,000 or approximately J$25 million, bringing the total
grants approved under the JBDC’s Tapping into Donor Funds Proposal Writing Workshop® to $127 million.
“This project has been over three years in the making and JBDC
played a significant role in helping us to get to this point. I was a
participant of the inaugural Proposal Writing Workshop in 2013. The
Mandeville representative, Mrs. Terry-Ann Clahar-Weir has also worked
closely with members of our church in business planning,” explained Dr.
Judith A. Johnston, Community Development Specialist & Social
Entrepreneur.
Dr.
Johnston says the funding will enable the organization to put the first
400 acres (of the 1000 acre target) of castor bean into production. So
far, 80 farmers have signed on to participate in the project which is
being implemented in ten (10) parishes. Dr. Johnston estimates that
there will be approximately 200 participants when the remaining acres
are used.
“Often
times, we see other produce failing because there’s no market. They
invest and it comes to nothing. What we want to do is engage our farmers
in things that have a value-added component, so whether it’s the castor
beans, breadfruit or cassava there are value-added products to be
derived such as oil and flour,” she said.
Dr.
Johnston says with the help of the Ministry of Investment, Commerce,
Agriculture & Fisheries the organization has also been approved for
technical assistance by the Mexican Agency for International Development
Co-operation (AMEXCID), details of which they await.
“This
is a major achievement for the Workshop, as it indicates that our
primary objective is being met. Access to funding is a major challenge
for entrepreneurs and social enterprises. As a result, the JBDC
has been developing and implementing programmes that will build our
clients’ capacity to succeed. Proposal writing can be an intimidating
task for the applicant and that proposal once submitted will undergo
intense scrutiny by the potential donor. So we developed a product to
address that need,” explained Lisa Taylor-Stone, Project Management
& Research Development Manager – JBDC.
To date, close to 300 participants representing SMEs, public sector entities and social groups have been trained.
The methodology that guides the implementation of the Workshop comprises: 20 hours of learning delivered over three days and eight (8) hours of post-workshop coaching and mentoring delivered over two weeks.
The methodology that guides the implementation of the Workshop comprises: 20 hours of learning delivered over three days and eight (8) hours of post-workshop coaching and mentoring delivered over two weeks.
Last
year, the Workshop was officially trademarked by the Jamaica
Intellectual Property Organization (JIPO) and accredited by UK-based
awarding body, Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM). ILM is the
leading provider of leadership and management qualifications in the UK
and part of the wider City and Guilds Group: a global leader in skills
development.
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