Give The Future Generation an Insurance Policy: Deforestation is Destroying the Agriculture Industry

The agriculture Industry is one of the main causes of deforestation in Jamaica. The farmers in Jamaica clear large forest areas by cutting down and burning trees to create space to plant crops using the slash-and-burn technique.

Deforestation contributes to soil erosion, water shortage and climate change, which reduces the Agriculture Industry chances of achieving sustainability. The agriculture industry will see a low yield in crops because of the above-mentioned challenges, our very own actions caused little or no rainfall and severe drought. Invasive species will destroy crops and there will be an increase in pests and rodents.

Biodiversity contributes to the growing of crops because animals contribute to the replenishment of soil and everything functions as a whole. Bees and other insects help with pollination and animal feces are used for fertilization. By cutting down trees and destroying habitats we are killing our heritage and destroying the country. Imagine species like The Jamaican Boa, Yellow-billed Parrot, Jamaican Iguana and many more animals are going extinct because of this horrendous act. The whole ecosystem is changing because of the loss of biodiversity causing less yield in crops.

Jamaica’s NDC under the Paris Agreement is to promote sustainable agriculture practices by reducing forestry degradation, protecting certain forest areas to preserve biodiversity and natural resources. Jamaica will take part in reforestation and afforestation and reduce emissions from the forestry sector.

Farmers need to be educated about the consequences of their actions because it is evident that they are harmful to the environment because of the lack of knowledge. Better farming techniques should be used; agroforestry is planting crops with trees instead of deforestation. Crop rotation is essential to reduce soil erosion and preserve fertility. We can achieve sustainability with better farming practices and we need to act now because delay is dangerous.