Your editorial 'Growing during and after a recession' on Saturday, March 21, speaks to the fact that Jamaica "should be growing food for ourselves, first of all, and second for export". Without a doubt this should be so. But this does not happen. Why?

As the editorial states, "For years, bauxite has been a huge contributor to the Jamaican economy and most Jamaicans will not even remember a time when it was not one of the mainstays of the productive sector." Again, this is a statement of fact. On Page 16 in the 1969 Economic Survey of Jamaica, there is a graph titled "Contribution of Productive Sectors to GDP" which shows the contributions of these sectors for the years 1964-1969. What is most striking is that agriculture was ahead of mining (and construction) up to the start of 1967. However, by the end of 1968, it had fallen behind both these sectors. But, who remembers this?

food productivity

You also stated that "the south St Elizabeth area has long had a reputation for food productivity", but who remembers the famous tomato industry of this area? The 1955 Handbook of Jamaica has some very interesting information about this industry. In 1949, exports of fresh and processed tomato products from this area was about £330,000. But, by 1955, after a series of crop failures, this magnificent industry was another chapter in the agricultural history of Jamaica.

Another typical example of this type of collapse is our ginger industry. Few people are aware that in the 1950s Jamaica was exporting 2,000 tons of ginger. Come the year 2000 and Jamaica exported the huge amount of 1.5 tons !

In his column in The Sunday Gleaner of November 11, 2007, Edward Seaga wrote, "The agricultural sector, like a flower which had bloomed spectacularly for generations, greeted Indepen-dence with a continuous trail of underperformance over the succeeding decades. The sector was particularly fortunate to have been the beneficiary of greater bailouts and subsidies than any other, more tariff preferences than any other, more protection from competition than any other, and yet, the result has been a sustained record of faded fortunes."

Why have these industries collapsed? Why has there been this "record of faded fortunes" ? The problem comes from the soil. We have failed to recognise that soil is not an inert structure. For soil to function properly, it needs to have many different types of beneficial organisms. As most of them are invisible to the naked eye, perhaps we have taken an "out of sight, out of mind" attitude about them.

organic matter

But, it is these organisms that are responsible for soil functions, some of which are mineralisation/recycling of nutrients, fixation of nitrogen, maintenance of soil structure, suppression of plant pathogens (other micro-organisms) and decomposition of organic matter.

In tropical-zone countries, while high rainfall and temperature promote rapid plant growth, these conditions are also favourable to rapid organic-matter decomposition and loss. A constant supply of fresh, organic matter - coupled with soil management practices to conserve this supply - is needed, as this is the "food" for the beneficial soil organisms. Without them, deleterious organisms, such as pathogenic fungi and nematodes, take over in the soil. When the good move out, the bad take over. Pouring on more fertiliser and water will only serve to exacerbate the problem.

soil health

It all comes down to, what is now internationally being termed, soil health (or soil quality). This emphasises integrating and optimising the biological, chemical and physical properties of soil as they affect farm profitability and environmental sustainability. Cornell University of the United States of America has been a world leader in developing systems to measure soil health.

The Alliance for the Green Revolution in Africa has recognised the importance of soil-health in sub-Sahara Africa and as part of their efforts to deal with this serious problem, five countries in that region are to be equipped with soil-health diagnostic labs based on the Cornell system. Having this capability would go a long way in getting agriculture to perform in Jamaica. If the Government is really serious about agriculture, it would move on this without hesitation.

I am, etc.,

MARK BROOKS

Malvern, St Elizabeth