HISTORY OF RURAL PHYSICAL PLANNING DIVISION
One of Jamaica's primary means of survival in the current global economic environment that exists today, rests in agriculture. Because of this fact, the emphasis has always been on finding innovative strategies to facilitate increased production and greater yield of our produce for the local and export markets. Land is one of the basic, yet major resources for agriculture, and therefore its utilization plays a key role in achieving this goal.
The Government of Jamaica recognized as early as 1951 that policies had to be developed to encourage the optimization of land use. This resulted in the Land Authority Law being established in that year, with a goal to encourage suitable land utilization. Then in 1968, the Land Reform Programme was established in order to promote the improvement of large portions of lands which displayed great economic potential.
Subsequently, the Rural Physical Planning Division (RPPD) was established in 1978 as part of the reorganization and decentralization of the Ministry of Agriculture in order to effectively promote services for rural communities. Its main functions were;
- To formulate, develop and prepare rural development policies, plans and strategies in keeping with Jamaica's development objectives.
- To complete and oversee the implementation of comprehensive, detailed and rural development plans for all integrated rural development schemes and agricultural settlement projects in the island.
- To prepare pre-feasibility reports on properties that the government has acquired or plans to acquire.
As the country's economic environment gradually changed, the RPPD's functions as a service was modified. The RPPD was made responsible for the following;
- Making agricultural and rural plans at the national level in accordance with the Government's policy on land use development,
- Planning and executing soil and land use surveys,
- Analyzing plant and water samples in order to give recommendations on crop suitability and fertilizer use,
- Processing subdivision applications and
- Preparing subdivision designs for the government's land divestment programme.
Between 1980 and 1982, a joint project between the USAID and the Government of Jamaica was undertaken, which resulted in the publication of the Jamaica Resource Assessment by the Comprehensive Resource Inventory and Evaluation System (CRIES 1982). This was accomplished by computerizing the soils data of the former surveys (Soil and Land Use Surveys, Regional Research Center, University of the West Indies, 1953 - 1970).
During the CRIES Project the need to update the soil and land use information of our country became more apparent. A joint project (The Jamaica Soil Survey Project) between the Governments of Jamaica and the Netherlands was subsequently initiated in 1983 to institute a modern soil survey service to provide comprehensive information on soil resources, and their potential for crop production. The project lasted for six years and the resulting products were computerized databases (JAMPLES and JAMGIS) which facilitated analytical capabilities for agricultural development planning.
In 1994 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Government of Jamaica came together to prepare policies regarding the use of soil and land in Jamaica. By 1996, the National Land Policy for Jamaica was implemented, and under this policy, the RPPD was given the following responsibilities;
- Upgrading agricultural land use maps to identify the capability and suitability of the land for various types of crops and,
- Declaration of agricultural zones for the preservation of the country's agricultural lands to promote sustainable agriculture.
The Rural Physical Planning Division continues on its mission towards the sustainability of the agricultural sector by promoting best management practices for our soils and land use.
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