Above: Jamaica (CJ Photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

A new project in Jamaica aims to plant 1 million new trees in the country in the next four years.

The project by SCJ Holdings Limited, is being undertaken in partnership with a number of ministries, departments and agencies in Jamaica.

The wider goals of the project include boosting local food production, increasing agricultural employment and reducing the country’s carbon footprint.

The project has been endorsed by Agriculture Minister Derrick Kellier.

It is coming at a cost of a little less than $217,000 USD.

“This is because planting a tree or seed [will] help us, in a significant way, to address issues of climate change, environmental protection, and increased food production to aid food security,” Kellier said. “This is truly the start of something big, the beginning of something extraordinary that will enrich the process of transformation and growth, to which this Government is committed.”