This project seeks to build capacity in a vulnerable community ? Mocho in Clarendon ? to raise awareness and participate in debate on land degradation, climate change issues and its impacts.

Information from a study on attitude and behaviour towards climate change done by the Meteorological Office in April 2005 shows that there is a general feeling of complacency and indifference among the population when it comes to climate change and its effects. This complacency is also reflected in their attitude to disaster management. According to the study which used the insurance of home and property as a measure of people?s preparedness for disastrous situations, an alarming 73.1 per cent did not have any home insurance while another 11 percent did not know if their homes were insured or not.

Only 15 per cent of homes were insured. It however highlighted also that, generally, persons expressed strong to moderate interest in knowing how climate change affected the various climatic conditions they were asked about.

The participation of people in seeking solutions for land degradation issues is also sparse and far in between.

In December 2005, Panos started an oral testimony project on climate change and disaster management in Mocho, Clarendon. Mocho was chosen because it was one of the hardest hit communities in Jamaica after Hurricane Ivan. It has also been heavily mined for bauxite over the past twenty-thirty years which has contributed to significant land degradation and changes in local weather, livelihood and way of life of the residents.

Informal discussions held during the first phase of the Project, clearly indicate that bauxite mining has significantly changed the livelihoods and farming practices of the community. There has been a shift away from planting long term crops such as citrus, sugar cane etc to ?quick? cash crops such as tomatoes and peppers. This is partly due to massive destruction of the fruit trees in the area by the bauxite company.

But additionally, the residents say that, while some land reclamation has taken place, the soil is no longer fertile enough to produce the crops they once planted. Due to some of these changes in agriculture, there is more unemployment and more migration of youth from the community.

To encourage and enable community participation in national policy formulation and seeking solutions regarding land degradation and climate change issues, through gathering, publishing and amplifying the traditional knowledge, indigenous science, voices and opinions of rural people (supposed beneficiaries of development).

Specific objectives of the oral testimony project in Mocho, Clarendon:
1. Document the community?s experience of environmental degradation and climate change issues with the objective of encouraging participation in local and national development, through getting local people?s views aired at the national and international levels.

2. Build the capacity of community members to mobilise Mocho (and other similar communities) to identify and work on solutions to problems such as land degradation and climate change. Particular attention is to be paid to energy efficiency and water management issues.

3. Stimulate awareness in the community on environmental degradation and climate change issues facing communities such as Mocho.