George Henry, Gleaner Writer

Miranda Lewis reaping peppers on her farm in Malvern, St. Elizabeth, recently. - Photo by George Henry

Malvern, St. Elizabeth:

Even when her full-time job as a house matron at the Bethlehem Moravian College threatened to control her daily routine, Miranda Lewis' natural affinity for farming kept her tilling the soil.

She worked at the Bethlehem Moravian College for more than 32 years, and while serving in that capacity on a full-time basis, she supplemented her income with fruits of her labour in the field.

Mrs. Lewis, or 'Miss Merle', as she is affectionately called, is now retired and she is once again back to what she loves on a full-time basis. She told Farmers Weekly that she was enjoying retirement on her four-acre farm in Malvern, St. Elizabeth. She produces crops such as Scotch bonnet and sweet peppers, gungo peas and carrots.

Food for the table

"I love farming. It is the best work that persons can ever be engaged in. It provides food for the table, provides a way for us to make money, and there is this feeling of satisfaction when you know that you have worked hard and can see the return of your labour," said the 62-year-old retiree.

"You have to like the farming. If you do not like it, you are not going to do it full-time," she continued. "I love farming because I like to see the crops grow; especially when they are harvested, so that I can even boast on my husband Kermit, because sometimes my crops yield better than his," 'Miss Merle' related.

Despite the difficulty she sometimes experiences with marketing her crops, Mrs. Lewis said it does not stop her from planting her crops. She is encouraging persons who have even a small piece of land, and who are not involved in farming, to get into agriculture. She recommended planting cash crops such as cabbage, tomato and sweet pepper because they were in high demand at this time.

Miss Merle, who is the mother of two sons and a daughter, said she had plans to even plant more produce as she intends to stay in farming for as long as the Lord gives her strength.