St. Elizabeth Parish

St. Elizabeth functions as Jamaica's agricultural heartland, the 'breadbasket parish' producing food crops that feed the island while other parishes shifted toward tourism and mining. The parish's position along the south coast creates drier conditions than the north, limiting tourism development while favoring the agriculture that tourism zones import rather than produce.

Crop diversity distinguishes St. Elizabeth from mono-culture parishes—cassava, vegetables, peas, pimento, and livestock creating mixed farming systems more resilient than single-commodity dependence. Two sugar factories anchor the traditional plantation economy while small farmers produce for domestic markets. Bauxite mining provides industrial employment that pure agricultural economies lack.

Tourism potential remains undeveloped despite natural attractions—the parish's focus on food production rather than visitor services reflecting both geographic constraints and historical path dependence. Whether St. Elizabeth's agricultural identity provides sustainable livelihoods—or whether young people continue migrating toward tourism and urban employment elsewhere—determines whether the breadbasket function persists or agricultural land consolidates for commercial production.