During the unveiling of the Nyerere Community Farm in Hanover, Tanzania's President Julius Nyerere commended young Jamaican farmers for their resilience in the face of adversity, both from human forces and nature. Prime Minister Michael Manley echoed the sentiments, praising the farmers as "pioneers and explorers" and lauding the contribution of small farmers to Jamaica's agricultural success.

Published Thursday, September, 1974

President Opens Youth Farm

Gleaner Western Bureau

President Nyerere, in his last official function in Jamaica, unveiled a plaque at the agricultural project at Cacoon in Hanover, yesterday morning, to declare open the Nyerere Community Farm, named in his honour.

Speaking before unveiling the plaque, the president told the 70 young farmers that life “was a struggle”. “You struggle against two forces – first, fellow human beings, unfortunately, who design to dominate and exploit others. If you believe in equality and dignity, then you must struggle against those human," he declared.

The second force which acted against human beings was Nature – the weather, the rocks and the soil. It was for Man to turn these factors to his advantage and it was for young men like the pioneers who had the energy and a future to engage themselves in this struggle.

President Nyerere promised that, if he was in Jamaica next year for the Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference, he would visit the farm to see what progress had been made. This statement was greeted by loud cheers by his bearers.

Hundreds of villagers from surrounding districts came out to welcome the president and his party.

Guards in green khaki uniforms, young farmers and schoolchildren lined the roadway and waved Jamaican flags as the president. Madame Nyerere, the Hon Michael Manley, Mrs Manley, and their party alighted from Jeeps after touring the farm.

Dr Nyerere and Manley shook hands with the young farmers and looked at tents constructed there.

The prime minister, in his speech, described the young farmers as “pioneers and explorers” who had started something good for Jamaicans to carry on with a special sense of honour. He expressed pleasure at the way in which the youngsters were progressing in their training and said that they had opened up a new way of life.

Manley also paid tribute to the small farmers who had kept Jamaica going in the past, toiling under some adverse conditions on hillsides. He promised that farmers would now have the best land to farm on and that the Nyerere Community Farm was the first of many similar projects to be started all over the island.

A planned programme had to be cut short, but highlights were an item by the Pioneers, songs by the Lluidas Vale Youth Community Training Centre, and a speech by Lloyd Haye, on behalf of the Pioneers Corps.

Presentations were made by the farmers to Dr Nyerere, who received a carving of the map of Jamaica; to Mrs Manley; and to Madame Nyerere.

The programme ended with the singing of the Tanzanian National Anthem in Swahili by the Green Island Junior Secondary School choir, followed by the Jamaica National Anthem.

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