Challenges of Smallholder Farmers in Jamaica: Bridging Perspectives in Agriculture Development

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dc.contributor.advisorWooten, Stephen
dc.contributor.authorMatheson, Joel
dc.date.accessioned2024-08-07T21:43:31Z
dc.date.available2024-08-07T21:43:31Z
dc.date.issued2024-08-07
dc.description.abstractSmallholder farmers constitute a vital component of agricultural systems globally, playing a pivotal role in ensuring food security. This thesis delves into critical issues surrounding agricultural development in Jamaica, focusing on the role of government, education, access to resources, and perspectives on climate change. By foregrounding local viewpoints, this research contributes to the broader discourse in development studies, emphasizing the necessity for inclusive and context-sensitive approaches. Adopting a critical development perspective, this study aims to elucidate power dynamics and structural complexities hindering development efforts. Conducted as a case study in Jamaica, this research seeks to address several key questions. Firstly, it examines the primary challenges confronting smallholder farmers at the local level. Secondly, it explores the involvement of Development Actors in assisting these farmers on a global scale. Lastly, it investigates the alignment of views between smallholder farmers and Development Actors regarding challenges and solutions. Qualitative methods, including 17 semi-structured interviews (11 with smallholder farmers and 6 with Development Actors), were employed to gather data. Analysis revealed a notable gap in the literature pertaining to Small Island Developing States, particularly regarding the limited inclusion of smallholder farmer voices in decision-making processes related to agricultural development. Key themes emerged from the analysis, highlighting a disconnect between the perspectives of smallholder farmers and Development Actors. While both groups acknowledge challenges, disparities exist in their perceived solutions. Effective communication and collaboration between global and local stakeholders are underscored as crucial for addressing these disparities. In the context of Jamaica, recommendations include enhancing the messaging and outreach of Development Actors to better serve the needs of smallholder farmers.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1794/29760
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherUniversity of Oregon
dc.rightsAll Rights Reserved.
dc.subjectAgriculture Developmenten_US
dc.subjectCritical Development Studiesen_US
dc.subjectGlobalen_US
dc.subjectJamaicaen_US
dc.subjectLocalen_US
dc.subjectSmallholder Farmeren_US
dc.titleChallenges of Smallholder Farmers in Jamaica: Bridging Perspectives in Agriculture Development
dc.typeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation
thesis.degree.disciplineDepartment of Global Studies
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Oregon
thesis.degree.levelmasters
thesis.degree.nameM.A.

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