5 September – December 2021 | VOICES Bi-Monthly Magazine of the University of Technology, Jamaica Renewed hope for economic and social development in Jamaica’s downtown urban communities is mushrooming, thanks to a special partnership project led by the University of Technology, Jamaica, Faculty of The Built Environment (FOBE) through its FOBE Downtown Cities Lab @ Kingston Restoration Company (KRC) initiative, in collaboration with the Inter-American Institute for Corporation on Agriculture, (IICA) and the support of community-based organizations. The project aimed at improving the lives and livelihood of residents of urban communities, titled “Towards achieving food security and sovereignty across the English-specking Caribbean through the creation of community gardens supported by national Botanical Gardens and their global links,” builds on models of community change that focuses on healthy eating and active living in the context of small island developing states (SIDS) and is intended to impact the three English speaking Caribbean territories of Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago. UTech, Jamaica hosted project partners for a special briefing and tour of the University’s scientific testing lab facilities on July 20, 2021 at Papine campus. Giving an overview of the three-year regeneration project, Architect Dr. Patricia Green, Programme Manager for the MPhil/PhD in the Built Environment programme, FOBE and Director of the FOBE Downtown Cities Lab @ Kingston Restoration Company (KRC) explained that the project targets for the Downtown Kingston urban environment are centred around the cultivation growing, production, distribution, and consumption for nutrition, of the indigenous fungi - Mushroom; while simultaneously the Hope Royal Botanical Garden peri-urban environment component of the project will be centred around orchid growing and distribution. The project aims to interalia contribute to increased food security for poverty alleviation; develop community participation entrepreneurship skills; design and beautify urban green spaces; train students in service learning and fulfill local and global development visions and goals. The project background stems from the establishment of the FOBE Downtown Cities Lab as a private sector initiative with the Kingston Restoration Company (KRC) in 2020 to help regenerate the downtown cores of cities through research and poverty alleviation projects, and resides under a Memorandum of Understanding between the University of Technology, Jamaica and the Inter-American Institute for Corporation on Agriculture (IICA) signed in 2017 for technical cooperation. Dr. Green explained that the project was put forward by FOBE in collaboration with Jamaica and other English Caribbean landscape architects with colleagues from across Latin America who are members of the Association of Central America and the Caribbean (APAC) - an arm of the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) which is facilitated by an international agreement between IICA and the IFLA. Welcoming themulti-entity partnership,Professor Colin Gyles,Acting President, UTech, Jamaica thanked all stakeholders, welcoming the integration that “will allow for UTech, Jamaica to work in the downtown communities,” he noted, adding that “UTech, Jamaica is the ideal place to facilitate blending of ideas and interests for national development.” Joining in the stakeholders meeting chaired by Dr. Elizabeth Pigou-Dennis, Vice-Dean, FOBE, were Dr. Elizabeth Johnson, IICA Country Representative and other project partners, Mr Nicholas Murray, co-founder, Wake Network Canada and Ms Pauline Terrie Smith of Wake Jamaica who is also the founder of the Network of Women for Food Security, as well as the Association of Mushroom Producers Limited. Also participating in the discussion were Dr. Carrington Morgan, strategic planning consultant specializing in community social and economic development and Pastor and Executive Director of City Life Ministries, who noted his organization’s extensive years of experience in connecting with vulnerable groups in the innercity through ministry, training and empowerment, and Dr. Andrew Lamm, Vice-Dean, Faculty of Science and Sport with whom FOBE is collaborating for the Mushroom production project with respect to clinical research and biomass analysis of the fungi. Stakeholders in discussion (from left) during a courtesy call and introductory meeting held Tuesday, July 20, 2021 at the University of Technology, Jamaica Papine Campus - Arch. Dr. Patricia Green, Programme Manager, MPhil/PhD in the Built Environment programme, Faculty of The Built Environment (FOBE), Dr. Elizabeth Johnson, Inter-American Institute for Corporation on Agriculture, (IICA) Representative in Jamaica, Ms Pauline Terrie Smith, CEO, Wake Jamaica, Mr Nicholas Murray, co-founder, Wake Network Canada, Dr. Elizabeth Pigou-Dennis, Vice-Dean, FOBE, Professor Colin Gyles, Acting President, UTech, Jamaica, Dr. Andrew Lamm, Vice-Dean, Faculty of Science and Sport (FOSS) and Dr. Carrington Morgan, Pastor and Executive Director, City Life Ministries. UTech, Jamaica, IICA and other Partners Collaborate on Mushroom Cultivation Project for Food Security
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