Contributed by Rashona Fitz-Henley

Dancehall star Alkaline, through  his global New Rules Festival, has partnered with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining via its agency Jamaica 4-H Clubs  to launch what is being dubbed “New Era Agriculture.”

New Era Agriculture is a two – day workshop exploring the viability of agriculture as a culturally relevant path for Jamaican youths.

New Era Agriculture will be held on July 2- 3, 2025 just ahead of the New Rules Festival set to take place on Saturday, July 5 at the Trelawny stadium.

The two day workshop will feature 25 selected youths in a highly interactive format featuring face to face sessions in urban agriculture , agribusiness and agri-tech; real world exposure to opportunities in agriculture and entertainment sectors, a pitch competition where participants will form teams to develop innovative agribusiness ideas , with the winning team receiving seed funding to bring their project to life, among other things.

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining Floyd Green has praised the initiative as an innovative approach to youth engagement. While, Manager of Alkaline and Event Organiser for New Rules, Kereena Beckford stated that the broader vision behind the initiative is to spearhead both a major cultural event and a meaningful platform for youth development. This, while adding that Alkaline believes in using his platform to create real impact.