Marlene McPherson, Gleaner Writer
Darcy Maxwell, community service officer at the National Housing Trust. - CONTRIBUTED
LYSSONS, St. Thomas:
THE NATIONAL Housing Trust (NHT), through its community outreach programme, is on the search for land as it attempts to improve the livelihoods of residents in eastern St. Thomas through the creation of a community agricultural project.
Darcy Maxwell, community service officer at the NHT in St. Thomas, explained that the project, which began last year, is aimed at "helping these homeowners to become self-sufficient and to generate their own employment and be better able to cater to their economic needs."
ASSISTANCE
Under the project, Mr. Maxwell explained that each resident would be assisted in acquiring lands, equipment and material to grow various crops.
He said the residents also receive assistance from their Member of Parliament, the Social Development Commission, Food For the Poor and the Social Investment Fund which assists with providing sanitation.
The Rural Agricultural Development Authority also provides assistance in the form of training for the residents, technical support and marketing of the produce.
RELUCTANCE
However, Mr. Maxwell said the project was being hampered due to the reluctance of some landowners in the area to sell or lease their properties to the NHT. He said the trust needed between 6,000 and 10,000 acres of land.
"Negotiations so far have been futile as some owners do not want to sell, others have difficulty with title and for others the acreage is too much," he explained.
The NHT is urging landowners of the eastern areas of Prospect, St. Thomas, to assist in setting up the project by leasing or selling lands not in use.
