George Henry, Gleaner Writer
Donovan Smith working on his farm in New Building, St. Elizabeth. - George Henry photo
Malvern, St. Elizabeth:
Although farming was not his first choice, a decision to "get dirty" five years ago after encouragement from colleagues has provided Donovan Smith with nothing but pleasant satisfaction.
"I did not like farming. I just got into it and just fell in love with it and put more interest in it," 35-year-old Donovan Smith told Farmers Weekly. But now he said "I love what I am doing. It is a joy to stand at a distance and just look at the crops in the field. They really look beautiful from a distant."
Never interested
Mr. Smith explained that although his parents were farmers, he was never interested in agriculture. After leaving school, Smith said he got a job at the Alpart Alumina Company where he currently works in the calcination department. But encouragement from colleagues who were already into farming and supplementing their incomes from the proceeds, changed his outlook on tilling the soil. When he is not working at the bauxite plant, he spends most of his spare time at his three-acre farm in New Building, near Nain, St. Elizabeth.
The young farmer noted that he started out planting thyme and has since moved on to producing other crops such as cabbage, cucumber, callaloo and water melon. Notwithstanding the difficulties and losses he sometimes experiences as a result of limited marketing opportunities, over production and poor weather conditions, he is planning on expanding his farm. He pointed out that the perennial problems with drought in the 'Breadbasket Parish' was not an issue for him as he is assisted by Alpart with water for his crops.
Given the pleasant experience he has had with agricultural production, Mr. Smith is urging persons with idle lands to make good use of it by getting into some serious food production. And for young people thinking of getting into agriculture and do not have the capital to start, he advised that they should start with crops such as sweet potatoes, cassava and pumpkins that do not require a lot of attention and money.
