It is said that it takes an acre of land to feed a person for one year. Jamaica needs to establish its food security as a matter of urgency. One of our first act will be the zoning of agricultural lands which cannot be used for any purpose which will impact on the use of these lands for agricultural purpose in the future. Too many of our fertile agricultural lands are being used for housing, roads, commercial and industrial purposes. The importance of securing our fertile agricultural lands cannot be over emphasised as while  we can import food stuff, in cases of supply shortage the suppliers will cut off export or increase the price to levels which are unaffordable as was  seen in the case of tomato when the crop in Florida  failed. Protection will be given to our farmers to prevent dumping of products in our markets as when our farmers are forced out of business the price of these ‘cheap products’ will rise sharply as happened the case of milk powder.  
Steps will also be taken with a view to eliminate praedial larceny. Praedial larceny  results in the  loss of billions of dollars each year to our farmers with some suffering losses amounting to millions of dollars. This activity has led to many of our farmers scaling back their operation or going out of business completely. Persons who farm for personal use have also been forced to abandon their effort. These are great losses to the country and affect our employment numbers, balance of trade and Gross Domestic Product (GDP). One of the role of municipal police will be to investigate and help curtail praedial larceny. Neighbourhood watch programmes will also help to prevent this crime. Penalties will be gereatly increased to reflect the severity of the crime and to serve as a deterrent. With the new penalties (civil and criminal), new approach to policing and active neighbourhood watch, we expect that the extent of praedial larceny will be greatly reduced. Apart from the losses suffered by farmers, there is also the great threat to the public health when unfit products such as sprayed vegetables or medicated animals are stolen and sold to consumers. This poses a great risk to the health of members of the public especially pregnant and lactating mothers and those persons whose immune system are weakened by existing illnesses. For example, the risk of having a baby with physical defects, mental retardation as well as spontaneous abortion are greatly increased if these unfit products are consumed. Similarly the threat of illnesses, including cancer, caused by these chemicals, or worsening of existing condition is very strong. The elimination of praedial larceny will be a top priority of a JAP government. RADA will be expanded to work closer with the farmers to provide technical services and prevent glut of products on the market. There will also be expansion of certain crops for both the local and export market for which we have a comparative advantage including organic produce. A comprehensive study will be done on the need for irrigation or any study already done will be reviewed with the intent to provide irrigation for these areas. Effort will be continued to provide land titles for farmers. An extensive educational program will be launched to educate farmers and the public in general on the use of pesticides and weedicides so as to prevent and stop their misuse and pollution of the environment. Many farmers are experimenting with the use of chemicals for purposes that they are not intended. Assistance to small farmers to acquire new technologies, as well as access to affordable pest and disease controls will be made available. Soil management must also be an important part of improving agriculture in order to allow the soil to remain fertile so farmers can get the best yield possible. More factories need to be established so that value added product  can be produced and exported instead of raw produce. Many crops such as mangoes which go to waste each year, can be processed into juice and sold. The improvement and maintenance of farm roads  will be tackled so as to enable the easy transportation of produce from the farm gate. Special attention will be given to improving the conditions under which our market vendors who distribute and sell us food stuff have to operate. Many of the hardships that these persons face on a weekly basis can be alleviated. Markets will be improved to bring them up to an acceptable standard for both the vendors and buyers. A JAP government will work to make it easier for persons to access land for farming and obtain loans at affordable rate as well as provide support for our  young and small farmers.  With its overall thrust to maintain the environment in a healthy state, the prospect and outlook for our farmers will improve.