by Marianna Farag, self-taught plant-based chef and food anthropologist in the making

Personal Introduction- My Relationship with Jamaica

When I look at the images of Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa — the flattened banana fields, the brown, wind-burnt trees stripped of their leaves, and farmers standing in their ruined plots — I feel a deep sadness. I lived on this island for a decade of my life, running a plant-based restaurant and working closely with farmers, and I’ve always felt deeply connected to its landscape, its rhythms, and its food. Cooking has long been my language of love and memory — and to me, every ingredient tells a story that explains the place we’re in and the countless complex layers that make up its history and culture.

Hurricane Melissa changed that landscape dramatically, especially in parishes like Westmoreland and St. Elizabeth — the latter long known as the breadbasket of Jamaica. The storm’s Category 5 winds tore through the island with unprecedented force, leaving behind a trail of devastation that is still being counted. According to preliminary estimates from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, more than JMD $29.5 billion in losses were recorded across the agriculture and fisheries sectors — a staggering blow to farmers, fishers, and the communities that depend on them.¹ For many, it has meant not only the loss of crops and income, but also the loss of hope — one that must now be met with the same resilience and creativity Jamaicans are known for.

As someone currently studying food anthropology, I often reflect on how culture, food, and survival are intertwined — and how our ancestors endured disasters long before the existence of relief funds or global NGOs. Jamaica’s Indigenous Taíno people, for instance, understood how to live in rhythm with nature’s cycles, planting diverse, resilient crops that could survive floods or wind and rebuilding swiftly after storms. Their wisdom — and that of other traditional farming communities — holds lessons that feel urgently relevant today.

The devastation left by Hurricane Melissa forces us to ask: How do we rebuild our food systems in ways that are both sustainable and self-reliant? How do we move from dependence on imported food and external aid to a renewed respect for the soil beneath our feet? This essay explores those questions — beginning with Indigenous practices that once sustained life through hurricanes and floods, and moving toward practical ways Jamaica can restart small-scale farming to restore both nourishment and resilience.

Ongoing Efforts to Restore Jamaica’s Land and Food Systems After Hurricane Melissa

Jamaica’s road to agricultural recovery will depend on how quickly small farmers — the backbone of national food production — can return to the land. Here’s what we know so far — and if you have updates or stories from your community, please share them.

The government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining and the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), has already begun assessing the extent of damage and coordinating recovery support.⁸

Farmers are being encouraged to contact RADA directly to report their losses and seek assistance. They can call 888-ASK-RADA (275-7232) or WhatsApp 876-436-8879. RADA’s social-media pages, particularly Instagram, have also been sharing post-hurricane guidance — including plant-nutrient advice, soil-recovery tips, and practical steps for restoring damaged crops.

Minister Floyd Green has emphasized that the goal is not merely to replace what was lost, but to “build back smarter,” introducing climate-resilient crops, protected-structure farming, and improved water-harvesting systems.⁹ The Ministry has also announced a rapid distribution of JMD $40 million in free seeds and planting material for three months. These priorities hopefully signal an urgent shift toward long-term resilience as well as short-term relief.

In the wake of Hurricane Melissa, Jamaica’s forests are also showing severe “burn” damage — not from fire, but from the storm’s intense winds and salt spray, which stripped leaves and dehydrated vegetation across several parishes. The Forestry Department of Jamaica warns that this wind-burn and salt damage could threaten soil stability and forest regeneration if left unaddressed. Though the island’s forest cover had grown to 47% by 2023, that progress is now at risk. To aid recovery, the Department is conducting rapid assessments and encouraging nationwide tree-planting efforts, especially in hard-hit areas like Holland Bamboo Avenue in St. Elizabeth. Officials note that true resilience will depend not only on reforestation, but also on soil protection, invasive species control, and active community participation in restoration.

However, recovery is not being led by the state alone. Across the island, a growing network of community and independent initiatives has stepped in to fill the gaps. Plantology876, founded by Stacy Thompson, has long worked with households and schools to re-establish gardens using composting and organic methods.¹⁰ The group teaches residents how to rebuild soil life with kitchen waste, cultivate fast-growing greens, and re-establish micro-gardens even in damaged urban areas.

In St. Thomas, the Source Farm Ecovillage has turned its permaculture centre into a hub for post-Melissa restoration. For several years, it has hosted farmer-to-farmer workshops on seed saving, regenerative design, and raised-bed construction — a model that blends traditional wisdom with modern agroecology.¹¹ Meanwhile, projects like My Jamaica Food Forest use social media to document how ordinary Jamaicans are re-growing seedlings in backyards, turning recovery into a collective act of learning and renewal.¹²

Even informally, signs of recovery are sprouting. People have written to me on Instagram saying they’ve started growing seedlings for fruits such as soursop, June plum, and custard apple to donate, or that they’ve heard on local radio interviews of farmers in St. Ann planting callaloo because the soil is rich right now and will soon flourish again. What people tell me most, however, is that guidance on how to re-nourish the land — especially when the soil is waterlogged and stripped of nutrients — is what’s needed most right now.

Jamaica can learn not only from its own Indigenous heritage but also from regional examples of renewal. After Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, many small farmers rebuilt their livelihoods by forming cooperatives, diversifying crops, and adopting agroecological methods. Instead of returning to large-scale monocultures, they created community-supported farms that focused on local markets, seed sharing, and soil regeneration. According to The Guardian’s report “The Story of a Recovery: How Hurricane Maria Boosted Small Farms,” these networks became symbols of food sovereignty, showing how disasters can ignite grassroots transformation rather than destruction.¹³

Here, Jamaica could draw on Indigenous principles of planting at varying levels or heights rather than on one flat plane — mimicking forest layers that manage moisture naturally. We can also learn from urban innovations such as rooftop or vertical farming, where space and water are carefully managed for maximum resilience.

These grassroots movements show that agricultural recovery is not only about replacing crops but about re-imagining Jamaica’s food culture. They connect people back to the soil, encourage self-reliance, and reduce dependence on imported food. The challenge now is scaling these efforts — linking community innovation with policy support so that small-scale farming becomes central to Jamaica’s national resilience planning.

Indigenous Practices for Disaster Resilience and Recovery

Long before modern disaster-management systems, Indigenous peoples throughout the Caribbean and wider tropics developed ecological practices finely tuned to recurring storms. Their survival rested on diversity, observation, and cooperation.

Across the region, traditional farmers planted multi-layered gardens that combined root crops, vines, and tree species — a system that reduced risk because some plants always survived, no matter what came. In Taíno and Arawak settlements, crops such as cassava, sweet potato, yam, beans, and maize were intercropped with fruit trees and medicinal herbs.² These crops were often planted together in conuco systems (still observed today in parts of Spanish speaking Caribbean) — mounded garden plots that resisted erosion, improved drainage, and protected roots from flood damage. Cassava, in particular, became a food-security anchor; even when its upper foliage was stripped by winds, the roots remained edible underground.³

That connection to cassava endures in Jamaica today in the form of bammy, the thick flatbread made from grated cassava — a food that can be preserved and eaten weeks after it is prepared, echoing the same principles of resilience and preservation.

Indigenous peoples also read environmental cues — the behaviour of birds, fish, wind, and clouds — to anticipate storms and prepare food stores.⁴ They dried cassava flour, smoked fish, and preserved fruits weeks in advance. When hurricanes destroyed crops, these stores ensured survival. Similar strategies appear in Pacific and Central American cultures, showing a shared ecological intelligence rather than coincidence.⁵

After storms, communities turned to rapid replanting. Root crops such as cassava and sweet potato were replanted from cuttings, while callaloo, pumpkin, and amaranth sprouted quickly on disturbed soils. Debris was used as mulch to retain moisture and rebuild fertility. Soil healing and social healing were inseparable — families worked together, exchanging seeds and labour.⁶

Today, these methods form the backbone of what scholars call Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) — a living body of practice that complements modern science.⁷ In an age of stronger, wetter hurricanes, Jamaica can rediscover this heritage to inform community-level adaptation: planting for diversity, storing for crisis, and recovering through cooperation rather than dependence.

Crops That Survive Storms and What to Replant After a Hurricane or Flood

After Hurricane Melissa, one of the most urgent questions facing Jamaican farmers is: what can we plant now that will help with recovery — and that can actually survive another natural disaster? Experience from Jamaica and other hurricane-prone countries shows that resilience begins in the soil and continues with crop choice.

Root and Tuber Crops: The Foundation of Recovery

Root crops such as cassava, sweet potato, dasheen (taro), and yam are the quiet heroes of post-disaster agriculture. These plants grow below the surface and are naturally shielded from high winds. Studies from the International Potato Center (CIP) show that after typhoons in the Philippines, cassava yields dropped by less than 20 percent compared to over 50 percent for maize or rice.¹³ Cassava and sweet potato can also regenerate from cuttings and tolerate both drought and brief flooding — qualities that make them ideal for Jamaica’s climate.

Short-Cycle Vegetables and Greens

Fast-maturing leafy crops such as callaloo (amaranth), pak choi, and kale provide nutrition in the weeks after a hurricane when other crops are still recovering. They can be grown in raised beds or containers using compost made from storm debris and kitchen waste. These quick harvests support nutrition and morale while long-term crops re-establish.

Legumes and Soil Rebuilders

Replanting must also include nitrogen-fixing legumes such as pigeon peas, cowpeas, and peanuts. These enrich the soil and provide protein, helping to restore fertility after erosion or salt contamination. Legumes are an essential bridge between short-term food needs and long-term soil health.

Tree Crops for Long-Term Stability

Once the soil stabilises, replanting tree crops such as breadfruit, mango, plantain, and coconut helps rebuild canopy cover and prevent erosion. Jamaica’s iconic Holland Bamboo corridor offers a living example: although heavily damaged by Melissa, bamboo’s fast growth will enable the landscape to recover if replanting and moisture are sustained.¹⁴

How to Recover Fertility and Grow Food Again — Even in Damaged Soil

After a hurricane, soil is often waterlogged, compacted, or stripped of nutrients, leaving farmers unsure how to begin again. Yet both Indigenous traditions and modern regenerative farmers show that fertility can be rebuilt from the ground up — often with what’s already at hand.

Indigenous Caribbean and Central American communities traditionally began by aerating and layering damaged soil. They loosened compacted ground with wooden sticks or digging tools, then covered it with organic matter — leaves, branches, seaweed, and charcoal — creating a spongy, fertile surface that encouraged microbial recovery. In Taíno conuco systems, this layering not only improved drainage but also prevented erosion during future rains.

Modern small farmers use similar principles, calling the process regenerative soil building. The steps often include:

1. Clearing gently, not completely: Leaving fallen leaves and debris in place helps prevent further erosion and provides natural mulch.
2. Testing and balancing the soil: Simple pH or salinity test kits identify areas that need lime, compost, or flushing with fresh water.
3. Composting and biochar: Turning plant debris and kitchen waste into compost restores organic carbon and microbial life; small amounts of charcoal (biochar) improve soil structure and water retention.
4. Planting green manures: Crops like cowpeas, sunn hemp, and mung beans cover bare soil, fix nitrogen, and prepare the ground for later planting.
5. Using raised or mound beds: Elevating soil 12–18 inches improves drainage in flood-prone zones and mimics Indigenous mounded gardens.

This combination of old and new practices allows fertility to return within weeks to months — sometimes faster than expected. As one Dominican farmer told FAO researchers after Hurricane Erika, “We didn’t rebuild the soil; we helped it rebuild itself.”

Managing Post-Hurricane Plant Diseases and Pests: Indigenous and Ecological Approaches

In the weeks following a hurricane, damaged crops and weakened soils become ideal breeding grounds for pests and fungal diseases. Excess moisture, broken stems, and poor drainage can quickly lead to infestations of weevils, caterpillars, or fungal rot — especially in crops like banana, yam, and callaloo. Indigenous farming traditions across the Caribbean, however, have long relied on ecological balance rather than chemicals to restore health after storms. Farmers historically intercropped pest-repelling plants such as neem, marigold, and lemongrass, and burned dried herbs or citrus peels to deter insects from stored grains.²⁵ Companion planting — mixing cassava with maize, or legumes with leafy greens — continues to provide natural pest control by confusing insect pests and attracting beneficial predators.²⁶

After hurricanes, the goal is not eradication but restoration of balance. Traditional farmers focus first on soil health — using organic mulch, wood ash, and composted leaves to absorb excess water and suppress soil-borne fungi.²⁷ This practice aligns with modern ecological farming advice from the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), which recommends rebuilding soil microbiology as the first line of pest resistance.²⁸ Farmers are also encouraged to replant trap crops (plants more attractive to pests, such as okra or pumpkin) along field borders, while protecting main crops inside with botanical sprays made from garlic, hot pepper, and neem leaves.²⁹

Local examples show that this approach works: in St. Thomas, smallholder farmers at the Source Farm Ecovillagereport reduced pest outbreaks by applying fermented plant extracts (known as biostimulants) to strengthen new seedlings after storms.³⁰ Similarly, Indigenous groups in Central and South America have used cassava and chili-based mixtures for centuries to protect their conucos from weevils and fungal infection — practices now supported by research in sustainable pest control.³¹ Together, these methods prove that Jamaica’s recovery doesn’t have to depend on imported pesticides. By reviving community-based pest management and Indigenous ecological knowledge, farmers can protect crops naturally while healing both soil and ecosystem.

The Ideal Farmer Recovery Toolkit

To speed recovery and strengthen self-reliance after disasters like Hurricane Melissa, farmers need access to a simple, portable recovery toolkit designed for post-hurricane replanting and soil repair. Based on guidance from the FAO, CARDI, and regional farmer cooperatives, the ideal toolkit would include:

1. Basic Tools and Supplies

• Hand tools such as hoes, forks, spades, and pruning shears for clearing debris and replanting.
• Buckets, watering cans, and flexible hoses for controlled watering when irrigation systems are damaged.
• Protective gloves and boots for working in muddy or debris-filled fields.

2. Soil Recovery Essentials

• Organic compost or biochar mix to reintroduce microbial life into flooded or saline soils.
• Mulching material (banana leaves, dry grass, coconut husks) to retain moisture and protect recovering soil.
• Soil test kits to check salinity and nutrient balance before replanting.

3. Seeds and Planting Materials

• Fast-growing vegetable seeds: callaloo, pak choi, okra, pumpkin.
• Root and tuber cuttings: cassava, sweet potato, dasheen.
• Legume seeds: pigeon peas, red peas, cowpeas for nitrogen restoration.
• Tree seedlings: breadfruit, mango, soursop, coconut for long-term canopy recovery.

4. Raised and Mobile Growing Systems

• Materials for elevated garden beds: recycled wood, old tires, or plastic drums cut in half — to grow above waterlogged soils.
• Grow bags and containers for temporary kitchen gardens in urban or flooded areas.
• Shade cloths or low hoop houses to protect seedlings from intense post-storm sun and rainfall.

5. Community Support Items

• Seed-sharing kits and envelopes for exchanging plant varieties within communities.
• Simple printed guides (or laminated cards) with illustrated steps for composting, seed-starting, and pest control.
• Solar lamps or flashlights to extend working hours during early recovery.

6. Natural Pest and Disease Management Essentials

• Botanical repellents and plant extracts such as neem leaves, garlic, hot pepper, and lemongrass for preparing home-made pest sprays.
• Hand sprayers or small mist bottles for applying organic pest solutions.
• Beneficial insect attractors, e.g., marigold or basil seeds, to support pollinators and natural pest predators.
• Protective mesh or fine netting to shield tender seedlings from insects while reducing pesticide use.
• Instruction cards or community training materials explaining safe preparation of plant-based sprays and compost teas.

Together, these items can turn individual recovery into collective action — helping farmers and households get back to producing food within weeks, even before large-scale aid arrives.

Redesigning for Resilience

These approaches — roots below ground, greens above ground, legumes in between, and practical recovery toolkits in hand — create a layered system of resilience. Replanting after a hurricane is not only about replacing food; it is about redesigning the landscape to live with the climate we already have.

How to Start a Conuco Today

A conuco – the traditional Taíno farming mound — is one of the most resilient and sustainable systems ever developed in the Caribbean. To begin, farmers shape soil into small raised mounds (about 30–60 cm high), often circular or oval, which help drain excess water and resist erosion after heavy rain.²² Different crops are planted together on each mound: cassava or yam in the center, maize or beans along the sides, and herbs or short greens like callaloo at the edges. This polyculture supports natural pest control, conserves moisture, and keeps soil fertile year after year through organic matter and root diversity.²³ Even a small backyard conuco can provide steady food and restore degraded soil, making it a practical model for post-hurricane recovery.²⁴

Replanting Hope: Building a New Agricultural Future

The story of Jamaica’s recovery after Hurricane Melissa is not only about rebuilding farms; it is about redefining our relationship with the land. Disasters expose what is fragile, but they also reveal what endures — creativity, solidarity, and the human capacity to begin again.

Across parishes, from the island’s red soils, limestonestone terrains, rivers and lush mountains , recovery starts with a healthy honest seed. Each home garden, each shared packet of callaloo seeds, each compost heap behind a zinc fence is a quiet act of resistance against dependency. These gestures echo a deeper heritage — the same spirit that guided the Taíno farmers who shaped fertile conucos, and the Maroons who learned to coax abundance from mountain soils.

Government programmes and agencies such as the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, RADA, and FAO Jamaica will continue to play a critical role in funding, training, and infrastructure. Yet the heart of recovery lies in ordinary Jamaicans who choose to plant something — however small — after the storm. Community innovators like Plantology876, Source Farm Ecovillage, and My Jamaica Food Forest remind us that food security is not a distant policy target but a daily act of care.

The next phase must be one of integration: blending Indigenous ecological wisdom with modern science, small-scale resilience with national planning. If every school, churchyard, and community centre became a micro-farm; if every farmer had access to a hurricane-recovery toolkit; if every parish shared seed banks and soil-building knowledge, Jamaica could transform vulnerability into strength.

Jamaica’s future depends on how tradition, innovation, and community are woven together. From the lessons of this recovery can grow a new kind of food independence — one built on small farms, shared knowledge, and respect for the land that sustains everyone. If that foundation can be nurtured, the next storm will not only test one’s strength; it will reveal just how much growth and wisdom has taken place in the meantime. 

References

1. Statement to Parliament on the Aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Government of Jamaica, November 2025.
2. Campbell, D. and Beckford, C. “Negotiating Uncertainty: Jamaican Small Farmers’ Adaptation and Coping Strategies Before and After Hurricanes.” Sustainability 1, no. 4 (2009): 1366–1387.
3. FAO. The Role of Root and Tuber Crops in Strengthening Climate Resilience. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2019.
4. IPCC. Sixth Assessment Report – FAQ 7.1: How Can Indigenous and Local Knowledge Inform Land-Based Adaptation? 2022.
5. Nunn, Patrick D. “Traditional Knowledge for Climate Resilience in the Pacific.” WIREs Climate Change 15, no. 1 (2024).
6. UNDRR. Thematic Report on Local, Indigenous and Traditional Knowledge for Disaster Risk Reduction. United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, 2023.
7. Berkes, Fikret. Sacred Ecology: Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Resource Management. 4th ed. Routledge, 2018.
8. Jamaica Information Service (JIS). “RADA to Provide Support for Farmers Impacted by Hurricane Melissa.” November 2025.
9. Green, Floyd. Quoted in The Gleaner, “Government Mobilizes Agricultural Relief After Hurricane Melissa.” November 2025.
10. Garden Restoration After the Storm (Part 1). Jamaica Observer, November 2025.
11. Source Farm Foundation. “Community Rebuilding and Regenerative Agriculture Initiatives.” St Thomas, November 2025.
12. My Jamaica Food Forest (social-media documentation), 2025.
13. Gatto, M., Naziri, D., San Pedro, J., & Béné, C. “Crop Resistance and Household Resilience – The Case of Cassava and Sweetpotato During Super-Typhoon Ompong in the Philippines.” International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction 62 (2021): 102392.
14. Forestry Department of Jamaica. Forests Show Signs of “Burn” After Hurricane Melissa. October 2025.
15. We Seed Change. “Breeding Maize to Survive Hurricanes in Honduras.” 2022.
16. Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining. Post-Hurricane Melissa Recovery Plan. November 2025.
17. RADA. Hurricane Melissa Damage and Relief Report. November 2025.
18. CDEMA and OCHA. Hurricane Melissa Situation Report No. 3. November 2025.
19. Jamaica Observer, “Garden Restoration After the Storm (Part 1).” November 2025.
20. Source Farm Foundation. Ecovillage Recovery and Permaculture Programs. November 2025.
21. My Jamaica Food Forest (YouTube and Instagram Documentation), 2025.
22. Pedro L. Vélez, Taíno Agriculture and the Conuco System, Caribbean Studies Journal, 2019.
23. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Traditional Farming Systems in the Caribbean, 2020.
24. M. D. Barker, Indigenous Agroecology in the Greater Antilles, University of Puerto Rico Press, 2021.
25. Habiyaremye, Alexis, and Leeja Korina. “Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Ecological Pest Control and Post-Harvest Rice Conservation Techniques: Sustainability Lessons from Baduy Communities.” Sustainability 13, no. 16 (2021): 9148.
26. Grzywacz, D. “The Use of Indigenous Ecological Resources for Pest Control in Africa.” Food Security 6 (2014): 71–86.
27. Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI). Traditional Knowledge for Resilient Small-Farming Systems in the Caribbean. 2016.
28. Ibid.
29. Allen, C.F. “Agriculture, Food Safety and Security.” In Research for Action on Climate Change and Health in the Caribbean. 2024.
30. Source Farm Ecovillage. Regenerative Agriculture in Jamaica: Community Farming Practices Post-Hurricane. 2023.
31. Barker, M. D. Indigenous Agroecology in the Greater Antilles. University of Puerto Rico Press, 2021.