Land Ownership and Access to Land Women in general are always among the poorest in society, and there

is no exception to that generality in Jamaica. The thought of ownership is of far reach, and the possibility of loan is farther. Banks are not comfortable loaning money to poor women in agriculture, especially when produce grown in Jamaica is hard to sell as it is more expensive at times than imported goods. Underemployment is an issue in Jamaica, which has contributed to the increase of squatters. Because land is not affordable, little shacks are built without any safe sanitation or water source. Such informal housing has increased in recent decades. The situation is grim, since a loan is unlikely and land is too expensive. According to the World Bank, seventy-five percent of the world's poorest are mostly farmers and live in rural areas. The USAID's Women in Development program is one solution in providing progress for women in Jamaica. This program promotes education and helps inform women on the specifics regarding land ownership rights and accessing loans. In the end, education and access is most important. Women need to be informed on how to go about being most lucrative with their resources, and what their rights are. Such rights as mentioned by the World Bank as well are rights women have to land through marriage, rights through a divorce and land ownership, and land inheritance. If not informed, women can end up in compromising situation left with less than they rightly and legally should have. Jamaica scores high on gender indicators yet women tend to be among the poorest members of society. Women are primarily employed in the insecure informal sector or in lowpaying jobs in the formal sector. Women are poorly represented in the political sphere, and women policy-makers are limited in number (Wyss and White 2004). Women in Jamaica have strong legal rights to land. They can legally own land and be included on documents as joint or individual landowners. A married woman can own and register a property title under her name alone. Under customary law, daughters and sons are equally entitled to inherit family land. Despite these provisions, few women own land legally in Jamaica. Women most often access land through their spouse, partner, or family; they may also rent land. Although women operate 19% of all farms, they receive only 5% of the loans granted by the Agricultural Credit Bank (Ellis 2003; Crichlow 1994; FAO n.d.).