MECC EAB Agricultural Project
Empowering Youth & Women in Jamaica through Agri-preneurship
Transforming Jamaica’s Agriculture Sector
Welcome to the MECC EAB Agricultural Project, a transformative initiative aimed at empowering youth and women in Jamaica through agri-preneurship. This project marks a significant milestone in fostering innovation, capacity building, and sustainability within the local agricultural ecosystem.
Over an 8-month intensive journey, participating agri-preneurs undergo rigorous business structuring, technical agricultural training, market readiness assessments, and pitch coaching culminating in an international Demo Day.
Project Partners
Mona Entrepreneurial & Commercialisation Centre
MECC is a Social Enterprise with a mission of inclusivity focused on vulnerable, women-led, and youth-led enterprises, transforming ideas into commercial products and viable businesses.
Entrepreneurs Across Borders (EAB)
A global not-for-profit organization that connects emerging entrepreneurs in developing areas with resources, mentorship, and international access to create sustainable livelihoods.
Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ)
The Development Bank of Jamaica Limited provides essential capacity-building grant funding, financial readiness support, and institutional backing to empower local agri-preneurs to scale.
Key Objectives
Youth and Women in Agriculture
Strengthening the capacity of young people and women to effectively contribute to agriculture, tackling poverty, employment, equality, and equity challenges.
Value Added Production
Securing higher capital gains and GDP growth through value-added processing, innovation, and export-ready product development.
Agripreneurship & Startup Mechanics
Equipping local agripreneurs with robust business, legal, accounting, and financial structures to adapt to 21st-century marketplace demands.
Development & Innovation
Fostering public-private-diaspora partnerships to expand knowledge exchange on sustainable agricultural equipment and yields.
Project Components & Curriculum
The training programme aimed to improve productivity, foster innovation, and promote sustainable agricultural best practices through interactive workshops, one-on-one coaching, and specialized diagnostic assessments.
Enterprise Resilience Assessment
Helps identify operational areas most affected by external forces, developing risk mitigation and capital growth strategies.
Skills & Needs Assessment
Essential for identifying skill gaps and strategic resources required to achieve competitive edge.
GrowthWheel 360° Tool
A comprehensive self-assessment tool helping founders evaluate 360-degree business performance from inception to expansion.
Training Modules
Participating Cohort Startups
Ceres Robotics
Revolutionizing the coconut industry by solving labor shortages with autonomous harvesting drones.
De La Enzie Essentials
An all-natural plant oil and wellness product company formulating local botanical extracts.
Green Worx
Greenhouse farm producing strawberries and micro-greens using aquaponics and hydroponics.
Jireh Farms
Family-owned commercial farm producing cash crops for local and international markets.
Wi Jammin Foods
Innovative agro-processor specializing in authentic Jamaican seasonings and pepper mash sauces.
Ja Bio Plastics
A natural, degradable alternative to single-use plastics derived from organic plant waste.
Farm Credibly
Simplifies financial services and credit scoring for underbanked smallholder farmers.
Tina's Delight
Agro-processing venture expanding from food service into frozen consumer foods.
Phyto-Bio Foods
Organic pesticide and bio-crop protection solutions engineered for Caribbean farmers.
Demo Day & International Investor Panel
The capstone event featured 10 founders pitching to an international panel of venture capitalists, angel investors, and ecosystem leaders.
Jimena Caro
Head of Open Innovation at Santex & Incutex Project Manager. Specialist in Agile, OKRs, and Design Thinking.
Sergio Escobar
Corporate VC at BCF Ventures & Lalotte Ventures. Techstars Facilitator & MD at Founder Institute Montreal.
Benjamin Gyan-Kesse
Executive Director of Kosmos Innovation Center Ghana. 25+ years in AgriTech and value chain transformation.
Jose Lopez
Co-Founder of devlabs Oakland & CTO Advisor to Altum Lab (AI for agriculture & mining). UC Berkeley alumnus.
Alexandra Koch
Innovation Manager & former Lead for RIS Climate KIC Accelerator & GEN Germany.
Sharon Roper
Managing Director of SIAN Equity & Angel Investor. C-Suite Telecoms Executive and Brand Jamaica advocate.
Helen Stevens
Founder & CEO of Two Handbag Investment Club UK & ICAEW Faculty of Finance.