A successful farmer’s wish for Christmas: Honest, reliable workers

Despite the occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic, a female farmer from northern St Catherine recounts the year as one full of many blessings.

Callene Thompson, who began farming at the age of 19, was, unlike many of her peers, not as interested in going to parties or shopping for fashion without having her own money.

As such, she instead sought work to fend for herself.

Realising that a nine-to-five corporate job was not the revelation she was seeking, as she preferred to be more active in her pursuits of income as opposed to sitting at a desk for a particular amount of time, Thompson venture out of her hometown and into downtown Kingston to sell ground provisions and fruits in local marketplaces.

A YAH SO NICE

Thompson, who was ecstatic to see how profitable the farming business was after earning what was considered a hefty sum of $4,000, never looked back and persisted in her career path of becoming a farmer and owning her own land.

The next time she took the market truck to Kingston to sell her produce, Thompson made nearly twice as much as the first time, leaving with $6,000.

“So me say yes! A yah so nice, and mi nuh bodda look back; and from that a straight town,” she exclaimed.

Many years later, the journey has proven to be worthwhile and fruitful, as Thompson told The Gleaner on Wednesday how blessed she has been and how she continues to give thanks to God.

“We did well, can’t complain,” the farmer said, explaining that cultivation has allowed her to do many things on her own that the average person would need to take out loans to do.

Starting with a one-bedroom house, she was able to expand it into a two-storey structure over time.

FARMING: A LUCRATIVE ENTERPRISE

“Farming allows me to achieve my own home, vehicles that I don’t owe anything for, send my kids to school, through colleges, so basically I’m blessed,” she added, indicating that she is currently looking for a piece of land in her area to build on, in order to generate more income.

Thompson now owns seven acres of land, where she grows fruits such as bananas, pineapples, and papayas, as well as ground provisions such as yam, sweet potatoes, and occasionally pumpkin.

Over the years, business has grown to the point where she can now supply supermarkets, market vendors, wholesalers, and smoothie bars.

Thompson, who describes herself as a “more out deh” person who has discovered her knack for finding, bargaining for, and purchasing farm materials and fertilisers, said the downside is her desperate need for farm labour.

“Most young people don’t want to work ... What I realise now is that most young persons now don’t want to be in farming because of laziness,” she explained, adding that they seem to feel as though persons are obligated to pass on wealth and an easy, sustainable life for them rather than them working for it.

This, she said, has affected her ability to hire trusted persons to assist her on the farm.

CONTRIBUTING TO ECONOMIC GROWTH

Though she recognises those who are not as fortunate to have a piece of land to farm on, Thompson believes that more could be done if young people really put forth the effort, as the country is in need of farmers and without them there will be no one there to supply the masses with food and the country would suffer.

She therefore encourages more young people to go into farming as, despite having the opportunity to live and work abroad, Thompson said she prefers to stay in her country and contribute to its economic growth and development.

CHRISTMAS WISH

Her Christmas wish is to get a few consistent workers that would help her maintain the land. “It’s fully farmed out, we just need workman. If I had help I could do a lot more than what I am doing right now,” she said.

asha.wilks@gleanerjm.com