- Angelo Laurence/Freelance Photographer
Farmer Donald Gayle holds newly-reaped potatoes from a New Broughton farm in South Manchester.
MANCHESTER:
FOR FARMERS of South Manchester their lives have really been a hill and gully ride for the last two years.
Known as a drought prone area, farmers have struggled with the lack of adequate water for their crops for years while their plea to the Ministry of Agriculture to assist them with a farming water supply system has gone unheeded.
They are particularly annoyed that with the change in their environment, due largely to the mining activities of the bauxite sector which resulted in the cutting down of thousands of acres of trees and the flattening of complete hillsides, not much has been done to correct the situation.
The burning of coal has also significantly contributed to the problem over the years according to senior farmers in the region.
This according to farmers such as Kenneth Bothe, has caused most of their top soil to be washed away during the rainy season as the trees and hillsides which once acted as natural barriers against erosion and conduits for the water, have all been destroyed.
The Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) through its extension officers have been educating the farmers on methods to compensate for soil erosion and improved farm practices, in an attempt to make their farms more productive. However, the efforts of RADA have not been enough to stem the tide of low yield from the farms in areas such as Cross Keys, Grove Town, Marlie Hill and New Broughton.
For Isaac Ferron who has been tilling the soil for 14 years, it has not been an easy profession in which to reap financial success for himself and his family. According to Ferron who plants a wide range of crops including cabbage, hot pepper and potato, the lack of irrigation system in South Manchester remains the primary deterrent to farming.
