USAID reform: how it impacts Jamaica
In light of the new policies to cut back on USAID by president Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE, numerous development programs and projects are now gone or will be reduced significantly. Here’s a list of a few USAID - Jamaica initiatives.
This one has already been plugged indefinitely: Health Connect Jamaica
Farmer to Farmer Jamaica you have to select the Jamaica on the interactive map to see the projects in more detail
Positive Pathways also this project was wrapping up anyways but it likely won’t be renewed
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Arguments can be made about whether countries should depend on American aid. However, it’s worth noting aid isn’t purely charity. It’s both business and diplomacy with Jamaica also returning expectations for aid. USAID accounts for less than 1% of US government spending so pretty lean relative to other American government agencies. While USAID was founded as a tool of soft power and to push back against the Soviet Union, in modern times it’s also recognized that economic upheavals in large countries like the US affect poorer or middle income countries.
Cutting back on aid could result in many countries looking to China and even Russia for aid agreements. I for one think Jamaica should diversify its aid agreements and look not only to the EU but Latin America