The Rural Economic Development Initiative (R.E.D.I)
The Government of Jamaica intends to implement a the Rural Economic Development Initiative (R.E.D.I) formerly known as the Second National Community Development Project partly through a loan from the World Bank. The overall objective of REDI is to reduce rural poverty by increasing the earning potential of rural communities. This will be facilitated specifically through the enhancement and development of agricultural supply chain linkages and community based tourism initiatives.
REDI has been divided into Preparation and Implementation Phases. Currently, we are in the Preparation Phase which is being funded by a grant of US$500,000 from the Japanese Policy and Human Resource Development (PHRD) Fund. Activities to be conducted in this phase include;
-
Assessment of community based tourism projects in pre-selected parishes
-
Supply analysis of selected crops in St. Elizabeth, St. Ann and St. James
-
Market Analysis to understand the nature, volume and trends of agri-food demand in Jamaica
-
Feasibility study of pilot community sub-projects that have the potential to be financed and scaled-up under NCDP2 implementation phase
-
Development of a Social and Environmental safeguards manual
The grant agreement for REDI was signed on October 12, 2007 by representatives from the World Bank, the Japanese Government, the Ministry of Finance, the Planning Institute of Jamaica and JSIF.
