Steal at eat

Its being two years since my last blog. What has changed ? Where you wondering if i had stopped blogging ? Or whether i had given up on the agriculture that i so passionately spoke about. Well let me answer, some things have changed, no and no.

I am now two years older than i was, my kids and my wife are now two years older than they were. we also have added another little farmer to the midst, well you ketch my drift. We have another little bouncing baby boy who is now one year and three months and i am not wasting time to teach him about farming as you can see.

The kids are still loving every bit of going to the farm. Their main drive tough is the creek (river). They get to swim, jump stones, hold crayfish and make lots of noise. but when daddy says no swimming today time for work they do pretty much ok.  I still continue to teach them the importance of agriculture and producing and eating healthy.

I still push, NO! chemicals on my farm and much composting (animal manure and kitchen garbage). Still using the natural insecticides to more repel. I am still educating myself on more ways to be environmentally friendly in what i do on my farm. i am still intune with the harmony of land and sea. I am trying my best to maintain a healthy lifestyle and enjoying every bit of what God has blessed us with here in Greenze.

Never Know What You Have Until You Loose It

Grenada was one of the leading exporter of nutmeg and cocoa and the quality was second to none.  Most of Grenada was covered with banana, nutmeg, cocoa and cinnamon (spice), hence the reason the isle of spice.

Over the years, Grenada started to become dependent on the tourism industry. Most of the owners of  the large estate was dying out and the children who should continue the business were sent to study for white collar jobs. Estate lands stated to sell out to accommodate housing and with the few producers that were left the treatment with those in charge was not on par.

After the devastation done by hurricanes Ivan and Emily the country suffered greater. A large number of our nutmegs and cocoa trees were destroyed. The government now had to grapple with the fact that some farmers still had issues with those in charge even though planting materials were available for planting.

Now, it is a fact that Grenada is now dependent on its tourism industry. Jamaica is now marketing its nutmeg as ne of the best (http://wwwchem.uwimona.edu.jm:1104/lectures/nutmeg.html), with Indonesia as the leading exporter.

Preservation of our lands is key. When you own land you have wealth. When there is a booming agriculture industry it can be link with all the other industry to make a country surpass that of its neighbors.

If we lose this generation to clear and build without putting measures in place (land use policies) to protect the little that we  have, we're in for a wake up one day, that the only thing to eat comes out from a can. At the end of if it all the cry would be heard "if I only understood what I had I would think twice".

Small In Stature, Big In Heart

Small scale farmers are not the cream of society when comes to most of our governments. When you have small farms that are operated by families, that is the backbone of that community. Governments tend to look more at the big investors from outside, than the small scale producers within. Small scale family farming is more stable, balance and sustainable. The remedy for a great nation.

 One of the issue with large farms/companies, they are heavily into industrialized agriculture. That collapses rural economies, driving farmers to strive for economic growth and a "development" that turns a country from food self-sufficiency to a producer of commodities with massive food import bills, an economic success story that can be wrecked by a run on the foreign exchange market.

On family farms the emphasis should be on, land conservation, food security and food safety. Eat what you grow, grow what you eat. The main fact, that what you grow you consume, makes it more comfortable to the consumer.

Small scale family farms, focus heavily on maintaining the land, knowing that it has to be passed on to the next generation. Climate has changed, and I am wondering "did that happen by our own negligence as human beings".
There are, many large farms and companies involved in agriculture just to make a lot of money, no matter the cost. The cost of human health and the cost of the environment has no bearing in some of these big businesses.

The small thought of supplying for healthy consumption, and to maintain a clean, well balanced environment is big at heart.

82 going on 20

 

My grandmother, who is now 82 years old worked on a plantation (cocoa and nutmeg) for  years, from 1951-1990 and still going strong. She had six children while working on that plantation. she was married but that marriage did not last long so she had to fight it on her own.

It is the peace of mind that comes with faith in God that made her push on. When ever she would share of things that happened in the past, on the estate and on her way to the farm she would always say "if wasn't for God" she would have been dead.

I am now 34 years old, and ever since knowing my grand mother, she is always on her feet doing something in her garden. Back then she would have to walk at least 10 miles back and forth to get to the estate and two miles back and fort to get to her farm. She don't go to town or take any long ride on vehicles. Exercise is on of the benefits that come from farming our traditional way and its good for our health  http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/diet-fitness/exercise/benefits-of-walking.htm.

My grandmother loves her ground provision, and just about anything the land produce. She does not eat junk food and loves her local fruit juices. She only uses the herbs that grow around the yard for her tea (lemon grass, black stage, rosemary, jack paner, orange peal, etc). These herbs have their scientific names but we know them by their local name.  http://www.besthealthmag.ca/eat-well/nutrition/7-herbal-teas-that-will-make-you-healthy

My grandmother has never been ill to the extent of having to run to a doctor. whenever she may feel something coming on, she will find some of  herb that will aid in the relief of the complaint. I am not saying that we don't have to go to the doctor but most time it can be avoided.  She is a very conscious person. She acts on precaution, which is much better than cure. She would say " boyi you jus come out in d sun, u en even koolin out",  " u jus take out shoes, u fut on d grun " " boyi  dou take out u clothes in the breze". All this, just so the pain, when the age starts to hit would not be great. 

 At this age my grandmother still go the garden and still make her little panqui (work small jobs in people garden or round their home).  At  times she work's with the government debushing program.
She wakes early on a morning sets off and has no complain, whatsoever.

Our land has much to offer and our grandparents also. Lets try to collect some of the data they have stored inside their minds, so our generation and the ones after us will live long and healthy lives. We say that the old folks dying with the knowledge and not passing it on, but have we taken the time to sit and ask them for that knowledge. When ever I chat with the older folks about the pass, I see that joy that comes on their faces even tough there will be some moments of sad situations.

From studying part of my grandmother's life journey it is amazing, at that age, she is so strong like a twenty year old.  Farming has tremendous benefits not just material wise or profit, but also health. I will continue to tap into that resources that is available and pass it on to my children.

Every farmers moto should be, "Eat what you grow and grow what you eat".

Farming From Ridge To Reef

living coral reef
 

The earth is covered by seventy percent (70%) water and thirty percent (30%) land http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/earthhowmuch.html. The land as we know it, is surrounded by huge amount of water. We have to be mindful that whatever we do on the land can affect the water (rivers and sea).

 Our business should be geared at supplying the right commodities to our customers and consumers. As much as it should generate profit, it should also be able to protect the environment. Bad agricultural practices can affect the cycle of what goes on in our waters.

dead coral reef

I have been diving for about six years (6) and never knew that corals are living organisms. The coral reef's acts as a safe havens for many of the fish and the eggs they lay. The coral reefs also provide food for some species of fish. If we were to lose our reefs, we would affect the multiplication process of what goes on in our waters.

 when fertilizers get washed down into our rivers and streams, the nutrients they carry causes the algae on the reefs to grow rapidly. When that happens the algea covers the  corals, preventing them from breathing, and eventually they die. Also when we have animal pens near to our rivers and the waste is washed directly into these rivers the nutrients from these waste also cause algae to spread at a rapid rate.

 In order for me to protect the marine life I has to apply good agriculture practices. I have created a buffer zone about six feet from the river bank. This buffer zone would trap whatever fertilizer nutrients that water would carry down from drains on the farm. Where the land is sloping, I use contour drains to control the flow of water. I try my best to use as much compost manure as possible.

 The Great Barrier Reef authority Australia
http://greatbarrierreef.org/,  has taken the initiative to tend to the preservation of coral reefs. Through the Grenada marine protected area http://www.scubatech-grenada.com/en/news/494-grenada-marine-protected-area-now-official and the North East Farmers Organization http://climateandreefs.org/blog/2013/11/11/farmers-tend-the-reef-in-paradise this project is on the way in Grenada. I am one of the reef guardian farmers who vowed to help sustain our marines areas through good agriculture practices.

Now, I am careful of what I do on my farm knowing very well it can affect what goes on underneath the sea. I have taken the initiative to  farm both ridge to reef, playing my part in sustainable agriculture and its continued development. And passing it on to my children.

 

Eye See Tea

In whatever business that you may venture into, you need information, even before starting up . Having information and not doing any thing with it, can ruin your business.  It is important also to note, that you have to be able to disseminate information to whatever audience you are trying to reach.

Part of my strategy in this business,  is to develop my IT skills to take hold of the technology that is at my disposal. ICT and agriculture is now the talking point all over the world. Even as a small scale farmer I need to find information very fast. With the growing rate of technology I must adapt to be successful.

CTA web 2.0 training
 

CTA and UNTAR has e-learning courses that one can tap into to help develop their communication skills. There is an old saying "knowledge is power". After the completion of the course on web 2.0 I now collaborate on the internet making use of some of the social media platform's that are available.This does not mean, that whatever someone else is doing, may work for you in your domain but that's all part of the learning, to see what will work.

If I am affected by a disease or pest, and need some information, I consult my online extension officer (Google) . If I need a weather forecast to know what is happening, just the click of a button and I have my info. To find the right medication for my animals, at the touch of a button, I have my info. To communicate with business entrepreneurs, with like minded careers, to learn from experiences and seek advice, with a online platform such as Linkedin ( https://www.linkedin.com/?report%2Efailure=adZIVBnWTib4up_BiP_fhajxJtMf-QxCuI5n3xXRttZscKxS6FJjbN4qYCKWmvPauF8bvrjY0gMo-bRRTAHLnrfYYkKD-qaxjFjLbhAeRkM_cnR4Tzy5bDtRt8K5l92UN9bG). To build and strengthen relationships with customers I use platforms like facebook https://www.facebook.com/.

In the field of agriculture there is a platform where people from all over the world exchange information, ideas, and resources related to the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) for sustainable agriculture and rural development. This platform is called e-agriculture http://www.e-agriculture.org/e-agriculture.

The Greatest Success Story

As a young farmer I face many challenges. I see these challenges as stepping stones to reach higher heights in this amazing field of agriculture. As any other young farmer, there are times I feel like giving up but I intend to keep pressing on.

Two of the main issues that I face in this business are market and finance (collateral). There was one point in time, our governments would encourage their local farmers to plant but when time to harvest  there is no readily available market and a whole heap of glut. In all of this I would not blame the government nor will I sit and wait on them to create the windows for me to achieve my goal. We have to create our own windows.



web 2.0 training and exchange workshop UWI cave hill
 

If you have Faith in God, land and water you have great wealth. As a small scale farmer I  have been exposed to a number of training through CAFAN  (http://www.caribbeanfarmers.org/?showthread=Mandalay-Bay-Resort-Casino&forum=blackjack)  in conjunction with, CTA (http://www.cta.int/en/), FAO (http://www.fao.org/home/en/), COLEACP PIP (http://www.coleacp.org/en) and the EU (http://europa.eu/pol/agr/index_en.htm).  These are some of the areas I was trained, marketing, recordkeeping, production planning, pest and diseases control, web 2.0 and training of trainers for extensionists . At this point, I am better able to guide my business in the direction that would make it sustainabe. My definition of success, is not measured by the amount of vehicles you own, the 3 story house you have or the wealth of cash you have in the bank but by the peace that comes with what you do.

Having a wealth a knowledge and information and not doing anything with it, sets the stage for imminent failure. In my business my daughter (11) now has the responsibility to keep records using the computer and my wife is in charge of the accounts. In terms of value added I do lunch catering on weekends that I sell in my village using livestock and vegetables from my farm, I have readily available market to the school feeding program through my wife who is a teacher, I sell to the local market and to some retail outlets.   Now I am better able to guide my business in the direction I want it to go. My definition of success, is not measured by the amount of vehicles you own, the 3 story house you have or the wealth of cash you have in the bank but by the peace that comes with what you do.

My success story is the support of my family, using the natural resources that I have at my disposal to produce healthy crops and livestock for my consumers, the ability to replenish the land and with that, I am at peace.