Output 1.1 ? Establishment of agro-forestry programme to include farmers planting endemic plant - Sixty-one (61) community members (23 males and 38 female farmers) received fruit tree seedlings. Seedlings include East Indian mangoes, St Julian mangoes, soursop, oranges, lime, lychee, ackee, June plumb, coconut, and apple. 424 seedlings were planted on beneficiary farms and residence, which included 65 donated by Food for the Poor, and 9 donated by St. Catherine Bee Farmers Associations. Beneficiaries were very appreciative of the seedlings with some sending pictures of themselves planting. A plant registry for accountability was established in October 2021. The register outlined how farmers would be selected and monitored. The main element of the agreement is that beneficiaries must either have attended the training or participated in similar training in the past which would indicate that they know how to care for the seedlings. Additionally, they must agree to provide timely update on the progress of the seedlings.

Output 1.2 Training in contour planting and how to care for endemic plants conducted - Fifty-eight (58) farmers were engaged in a 4-day training facilitated by the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), Small Ruminant Association of Jamaica, Environmental Foundation of Jamaica, HiPro Feeds and Sagicor, that addressed the following topics: Introduction to intensive inhouse goat rearing practices; Insurance for Farmers Registering with RADA; Record Keeping, Best Practices; Introduction to feeding goats ? nutritional needs, forages, grains, vitamins and minerals; The Importance of forest and preserving the forest: Parasite prevention and treatment ? Agro Forestry and other sustainable farming practices. Police officers from the Praedial Larceny Unity within the Jamaica Constabulary Force also participated in the training sessions. Certificate of participation was issued to each participant. Training participants included goat farmers, crops farmers, students from the College of Agriculture and Science Education, and 4H Club members from the Watermount Primary School. Monitoring site visits were conducted on some of the beneficiary?s farms where the following was observed: (a)Participants were implementing some of the strategies learnt to include contour planting and effective use of mulching; (b) Farmers reporting greater yield and cost saving.

Develop a ?how to guide? on Rearing Goats Indoors for Forest conservation - Meetings were held with members of the group?s executive team, HiPro and Small Ruminants Association of Jamaica to discuss and review contents for the how-to-guide. A draft document has been developed and being reviewed for approval and finalization. The guide includes topics such as: stakeholder engagement, forest conservation, and environmental and health specifications in designing climate friendly goat house. Also included are pictures for ease of use to the ordinary user. The guide will be disseminated to project beneficiaries and other stakeholders for lessons learnt and documentation of key processes especially for groups/communities who wish to replicate.

Output 2.1 - Construction of two (2) goat units - Two goat houses were constructed, a 35x25 ft and a 25x20ft. The units serve as a demonstration site for community members to access and learn proper indoor goat rearing techniques and serves as the home for 11 mixture of Boer and grades goats that are managed by the group for income generating activities (mainly milk supply and production of quality goat stock. A total of fifty goats can be housed in the unit. Some of the security measures that have been put in place includes perimeter fencing, introduction of two dogs in the immediate space, secure community buy-in and the involvement of the police in sessions and meetings.

Output 2.2 ? Procurement of animals (goats) for production - Eleven (11) goats were procured for the purposes of male serving the female goats, to improve the stock initially, later members will benefit by getting offspring as soon as the stock is increased and for milk and cheese production. A total of 50 goats will be procured as soon as the required breed/species become available. A memorandum of understanding will be established with each beneficiary. Attached is a copy of the MoU.

Output 2.3 - Establishment Sales Agreement for the supply milk: There are currently two agreements in place. One from the potential goat milk purchaser and the other from the Small Ruminant Association of Jamaica. The agreement with the Small Ruminant Association of Jamaica is for support in training. Discussion with the Bureau of Standards Jamaica will commence soon to guide the standards to ensure quality production and sale of goat milk.

Community Participation - The project was community driven as various community groups
played an integral role in the design and execution of the various project activities. These community
groups include Watermount CDC Benevolent Society, Pedro?s farmers group, Crofts Hill farmers group and some members of local churches.

Environmental Awareness Strategy - People were informed about the project via community walk. At least two weeks before the commencement of the series of workshop members of the group walked the community sensitizing persons about the project whilst observing practices of existing goat farmers to inform the content to be shared during the planned workshops.
Announcements: Announcements about community activities were made at local community group
meetings such as at church services and PTA Meetings. Information was shared with clerks of the various churches for promotion. The project was included on the agenda of all CDC meetings where the project manager who is the group?s PRO share on how the project supports the preservation of the environment. Social Media: A WhatsApp group was developed for the purpose of providing updates to members of the community as well as share additional information that might be topical and relevant to the group. For example, attention was drawn to an announcement made by then Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries on the importation of pure bred Nubian semen and from that members decided we could ask to be considered as beneficiaries which was done but no response provided. The group will continue to follow-up on the request.
Printed material: Flyers were developed to inform the community about upcoming trainings, meetings,
or sensitization session. Additional easy to read pamphlet on safe agriculture practice and animal nutrition was circulated.

Gender Equity
The ratio of female to male in the local group is approximately 1:2. From the sensitization to the actual implementation all members of the local group participated by sharing their views on how to achieve best results. Some male farmers shared on the specific skills they were lacking hence the inclusion of stakeholders such as RADA to provide training in agro-forestry and other sustainable farming practices. Mostly men participated in workday on the project site as they were more experienced in those areas. The women assisted with the coordination of meetings by mobilizing participants, prepared meals and organizing meeting venues. All members participated in the evaluation of the project by supporting each other with on-farm activities, data collection,
etc. Both men and women were given opportunities to plan and participate in the project however special emphasis was given to single women and youth farmers within these communities. Some women were afraid to venture into goat rearing because of the risk of theft and exposure to danger by going in the field with the animals in the morning and at evenings. However, this fear was addressed by exposing them to an alternate way of goat rearing that reduces the risk of theft and exposure to danger and gave goat owners more control over their stock through in-house goat rearing. At least two such females started to construct houses during the implementation of the
project.
How did men, women, youth and persons with disabilities benefitted from the project? - A total of 28 men benefitted from the project through the following: Training in effective farming practices and in-house goat rearing, receipt of fruit trees to plant on their farms. A total of 35 women benefitted from the project through their participation in the trainings and employment through provision of lunches and janitorial duties. They also received fruit trees that they planted on their farms and residence. One female as a single mother gave up her 9-5 job to do farming as a result of the knowledge she gained from the trainings and her passion for farming. 54 youths to include students from the Watermount Primary and Infant School 4H club participated in the following trainings: proper planting
techniques and in-house goat rearing. As the goat stock increase, members of the community will benefit from offspring or semen to improve the quality of their stock.


Capacity Development
One of the main sources of income for one of the adjoining communities is the burning of charcoal which is having a devastating effect on the river in the community. The river is changing its course and has on two recent occasions blocked roads. This is attributed to the refuse from the charcoal being discarded carelessly and later getting into the streams. The introduction of this alternate source of income has already seen people turning away from this practice and showing interest in intensive goat rearing. Additionally, community members? knowledge of proper planting techniques have been significantly improved through their participation in the various trainings. Consequently, there were fewer reports of seedlings not surviving as most farmers reported that before the training they use to plant seedlings in their plastic container so as not to disturb the root systems. They now know that the soil in which the seedlings are can be wet before removing it from the container. They also now know how to access insurance as farmers, and steps to take to ascertain a farmer?s identification card from RADA, as well as benefits to be had by having the card.
The capacity of the group was enhanced in the following ways: Adhering to agreed standard in memorandum of understanding by quoting specific aspects of the MOA in communication; Submitting communique by always ensuring that the subject line in an email reflects the content; Practicing financial prudency through guidance in preparing expenditure reports. The group?s overall project management skills have improved greatly, and we are now better able to conceptualize and successfully implement a project that meets the needs of the community. Our networking skills have also improved as through this project we managed to engage several government and private sector organisations that will continue to work with the group beyond the project. The group?s relationship with the community has also improved as the community now has a greater appreciation
for the work being done and continue to increase their support of and participation in the activities.
The beneficiaries? skills in sustainable agricultural practices, agro-forestry, forest conservation techniques and indoor goat rearing were improved through their participation in the following training areas:
? Introduction to intensive inhouse goat rearing practices. 38 participants (23 females; 15 males
?include 5 youths)
? Insurance for Farmers Registering with RADA. Record Keeping, Best Practices 42 participants
(25 females; 17 males ? incl. 5 youths).
? Introduction to feeding goats ? nutritional needs, forages, grains, vitamins and minerals; The
Importance of forest and preserving the forest. 42 participants (25 females; 17 males ? incl.
5 youths).
? Parasite prevention and treatment ? Agro Forestry and other sustainable farming practices ?
35 participants (18 females; 17 males ? incl. 4 youths).
Practical demonstration in documenting the data to day activity of activities in the goat rearing to ensure maximum production. It was shared in theory however the full scope of the practical component was not done due to the infancy of the project. A visit to an actual in-house goat rearing facility that has been in operation for a while would greatly help the farmers.