More than two months after Hurricane Beryl, the strongest July Atlantic hurricane on record, some farmers in Jamaica are still unable to restore their crops and repair their homes.
Alance Wisdom, who farms cabbage, sweet peppers and cucumbers, points to damage from Hurricane Beryl in her home on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, in Cross Keys, Jamaica. – Alance Wisdom got inside her home just in time to watch the ceiling of her front room collapse. As the rain rushed in, a violent wind ripped at the roof, piece by piece., skirted Jamaica’s southern coast. “Before dark, everything was on the ground.
Jamaica’s government has pledged around 2 billion Jamaican dollars to help farmers recover. But with almost 50,000 growers impacted, most have not yet received direct aid, and the needs go beyond supplying seed and restoring irrigation lines. The humanitarian organization CORE estimates between 1,000-1,500 houses sustained damage across two of the worst-hit parishes. Many growers rely on what they sell from the summer harvest to pay their children's enrollment fees for the new school year.
“Female-headed households are often left out of decision-making and can be invisible if not intentionally sought out,” said Nicole Behnam, vice president of strategy and innovation at the Center for Disaster Philanthropy. “Programs that address their challenges and support their empowerment are important in all situations and circumstances, but most especially after a disaster or crisis.”
The United Way depends on a partnership with the Jamaica Agricultural Society, a 130-year-old farmer advocacy organization using its vast network of local branches to find vulnerable farmers. A local pastor in Manchester found out about Wisdom by checking in with the 70 members in her branch.
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