KINGSTON, Jamaica, Feb 12, CMC – The Caribbean and Central America parametric insurance facility and development insurer, CCRIF, has provided a US$25,000 grant to the Papine High School in Jamaica for their greenhouse and hydroponics project.
The Cayman Islands-based CCRIF, said that the funds had been made available through its small grants programme and will support the construction of the greenhouse and hydroponics system at the school.
It said that the greenhouse is seen as a boost to the school, serving as a practical learning resource to support students who are studying agriculture as part of the high school curriculum.
The greenhouse includes a ventilation system, cooling system, irrigation system, and hydroponics system, as well as planting beds and an electric water distribution system. Crops currently being grown in the greenhouse are lettuce, pak choy, strawberries, basil, cabbage (purple and green) and tomatoes.
The school said it expects to use the produce to provide nourishing meals to students and to supply the extra produce to business establishments and members of the Papine community. Papine High School.
Chairman of the Papine High School Board; Mrs. Saundra Bailey, urged the students to learn more about the digitalization of the agriculture sector, adding that they “should “immerse yourself in ways in which you can contribute to food and nutrition security in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean and further afield.
“I encourage you, as our leaders of tomorrow, to grasp the many opportunities that you can realize by pursuing a career in the agriculture sector or becoming innovative “agripreneurs” (or entrepreneurs focussed on agriculture), advancing Jamaica’s and in indeed the Caribbean’s development prospects,” she added.
Finance and Planning Minister Fayval Williams, in thanking CCRF for the grant, said that it had provided a payout of US$26 million to Jamaica following the damage caused by Hurricane Beryl in July 2024.
She told the ceremony that this resulted in the country being able to recover quickly following the disaster and underscoring the importance of having access to quick liquidity following natural disaster.
CCRIF provides parametric insurance coverage for tropical cyclones, earthquakes, excess rainfall, and for the fisheries sector and the electric and water utility sectors. Its membership includes 19 Caribbean governments ias well as three electric utility companies, thee water utility companies and one government-owned tourist attraction.
Since its inception in 2007, CCRIF has made 78 payouts totalling US$390 million.
CMC/2025