The Southern Plains Agricultural Development (SPAD) Project is in direct response to the demise of the sugar industry in the parishes of St. Catherine and Clarendon.  In a bid to stimulate economic growth in an area characterized by low poverty levels, increased criminal activity and tracts of fallow lands, the Government of Jamaica sought to utilize the balance of the UK-CIF grant funds.  A total of £17M is earmarked for the project, which seeks to provide irrigation infrastructure on two (2) parcels of government land earmarked for leasing to small, medium and large scale farmers, including women and youth.  The implementation period is July 2019 to June 2023.

The lands earmarked for the project are detailed in the Table 1 below:

• Irrigation system incorporating climate resilience measures
• Climate resilient roads, drainage and flood protection systems
• Enhanced agricultural production and marketing systems
• The establishment of a Matching Grant Scheme (MGS) to assist agricultural producers, including vulnerable groups (female and youth) within the project sites