IT IS 9:52 a.m., but already his face is awash in sweat as he wields his machete effortlessly through the unwelcome shrubs that have overwhelmed a section of his field.

The inability to access modern technology has left Philip Jackson, a farmer for 25 years, stuck with the traditional tools of the trade.

As the 60-year-old went through the rigours of his labour-intensive workday, he confessed to wanting to clear the land space before 2 p.m. to plant callaloo.

Even though the task looked insurmountable, Jackson's energy and speed left the casual onlooker in no doubt that he would indeed have it done before the day ended.

Proof of hard work

If the roughness of his palms and the pronounced veins in his arms could tell of the degree of his struggles, then it was evident that Jackson was schooled in hard labour.

"You see, it is not so hard," he told The Gleaner team as he cleared the land.

The Wood Hall, St Catherine, resident confessed that he had not earned much from the activity, but through the years, he had been able to provide abundantly for his table.

"I never really buy a car or a house from doing farming, but I always have food on the table," a smiling Jackson said.

The long-time farmer also said that he had been able to, through his choice of profession, send his children to school, as well as pay for basic amenities.

The tour of his four-and-a-half-acre hilly farmland revealed an area abundant with gungo peas, nutmeg, sugar cane, bananas, pumpkin, sorrel, coconuts and several other crops.

He admitted to planting a variety of crops to ensure that there was money always coming into the home.

However, as he proudly spoke about his crops, he pointed to the lush green scrubs that seemed to choke his prospective yields.

"I need some money to buy chemical to clean up the place," he said as he led the way up the hilly terrain.

Avenue for employment

Even while identifying the struggles in the agriculture sector, Jackson recognises that it could be an avenue for employment.

"You have to create your own little employment nowadays," Jackson said, adding that he encouraged his sons to accompany him to the farm on Saturdays to learn the ins and outs of the job.

He revealed that with his knowledge of electrical installation, he is, at times able to get jobs with the Jamaica Public Service.

Jackson has always been a survivor, finding honest means of providing for his family.

In the 1980s, he worked at the Navy Base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, where his skill as an electrician and painter helped him provide for his family.

Jackson also stated that he had operated a bus, but did not stay in the transportation sector because of the violence that threatened the system.

At the end of a hard day, the optimistic father and husband said he drank a beer and played a game of dominoes with his buddies before retiring to bed.