Food Security: On the Cusp of a Crisis in Jamaica

It's a frustrating irony for Jamaica: a fertile land with the ability to produce an abundance of fruits and vegetables is increasingly reliant on cheap agricultural imports that drive the country's farmers out of business. As Jamaica lifts its trade restrictions, foreign products flood the market. Jamaicans say locally produced food tastes better, but most still opt for the lower-priced foreign alternatives. The country's growing dependence on exports exposes it to the whims of international markets and jeopardizes its food security.

Julia Rendleman, a Pulitzer Center student fellow, traveled to Jamaica to for her project Agriculture and Jamaica’s Rural Poor that examines the impact of foreign agricultural imports on the country's farmers.