Beverley Smith
Marlene McPherson, Outlook Writer
THE DAY was extremely hot but Outlook trekked along with Beverley Smith to Cottage Farm.
This is a 30-acre farm in Hardley District along the Rowsland Field Road, St. Thomas. It is an undulating piece of land which has a mixture of fruits trees, vegetable patches and ground provisions.
Three female workers were busy on the farm. They seemed oblivious to the piercing heat of the sun, planting seedlings, fertilising and watering the soil. There was no mechanisation of the process.
Old-time technology was at work - watering pan, machete, recycled containers. And the good old muscle power. Yes, even from the women.
So there they were, Ms. Louise pouring the fertiliser in the prepared holes done by the males, Carl and Moses a day or two before; Kenisha watering the area and Diana planting the suckers - tomato suckers.
"Women are efficient and more organised than the men. They will spot problems quickly and they prefer short term cash crop. They have the nurturing instinct," commented Mrs. Smith.
Mrs. Smith, by the way, along with her husband Ian McCluney, are owners of the farm.
The female workers have been employed there for just about a year now but the men have been there from the inception some four years ago.
The first crop they started with was calaloo, then they went into growing string beans. The reaping of string beans proved difficult, however, so it was discontinued. They went into coconut growing as well, and a number of the coconut trees died. But, Mrs. Smith said, "It is easy now."
Her husband, Mr. McCluney remarked, "A bundle of calaloo is like flowers in the hands...when we just started the residents would examine the crop in front of us but now they just take it because they know the quality of our product now."
Market days
The farmers use to cut calaloo on Sunday morning from 5:30, but this has been discontinued since they now have established market days. Another popular crop is okra.
Although the women we are observing this sunny day, are employing "low-tech" to their trade so to speak, Cottage Farm has, in fact, gone high-tech, using drip irrigation throughout the farm. Trenches are also made to capture the rain water so that crops like plantain can benefit from it. And have they benefited! It's no idle boast. The plantains they reap are all the proof they need.
"Our focus is not on the export market, but on the local market because it is more sustainable', Mrs. Smith quips. Both owners are of the opinion that farming can be viable although it has its many challenges.
"It depends on what you want in life...many have lived off it...For this to be beneficial continuous production and good management are essential." Cottage Farm has been productive and has opened its gates to visits from schools wanting to provide their students with hands-on experience at farming and geography. Scores of school children have been through those gates, most recently, a group from Holy Childhood High in Kingston.
There are 10 workers on the farm, the manager being Devon Eccleston while Roan Brown is the financial and marketing manager.
