Greetings to everyone who lives in, visits, or is connected somehow to the wonderful community of Treasure Beach!

I am writing to inform you of a new association that has recently been formed: The Treasure Beach Ital Farmers Association (TIFA). TIFA is comprised of Treasure Beach farmers who are committed to producing their crops organically, without the use of chemical pesticides or fertilizers. Some of the goals of the association include: providing delicious organic vegetables to the community of Treasure Beach and its visitors, gaining a market for organically grown produce, and achieving certified organic status on each of the association's farms. Currently, TIFA farmers are hard at work sowing the first organic crops to be planted in this region of Jamaica! For more information please contact Liz Solms, TIFA Coordinator, at Lizathon@aol.com or 876 352 1375. All the best from TIFA.

Congratulations!!!

This is such a great program, Liz. Can you give us more details including what you are doing with the garden at the Sandy Bank Primary School?

Oh, those delicious cherry tomatoes!!

Will there be a vegetable stand or cook house where we can be sure all the food comes from the association?

Thanks for your interest...First off, the organic agriculture program at Sandy Bank Primary School began in October, 2005. Along with Peace Corp volunteers, BREDS, Sandy Bank faculty and students, and the school caretaker-turned organic famer, I started an organic demonstration garden to show the benefits of organic agriculture to the students at Sandy Bank and the community at large. Yes, we had an amazing crop of cherry tomatoes! Currently, the garden is run by a peace corps volunteer and our illustrious school caretaker, Whitty Bent, and though the ground is fallow now, the next crop should get into the ground shortly.

As for the question raised by "a visitor," a main goal of TIFA is to eventually set up a vegetable stand that provides organic produce that consumers can trust to be grown in a clean, chemical-free manner. First we must set up a steady market for these organic farmers, then we will surely move on to setting up a veggie stand. I will keep you posted!

AWESOME! In my mind the Treasure Beach community is organic and natural This is just the icing on the cake! Great job!