Dexter Lloyd tending to a bed of lettuce which he cultivates in perelite on his farm in Kingsland, Manchester. - photo by george henry

George Henry, Gleaner Writer

Spaldings, Clarendon:

As more and more farmers continue to find innovative ways of producing crops in Jamaica, 43-year-old farmer Dexter Lloyd is also capitalising on the use of modern technology to maximise his returns.

On a visit to Mr. Lloyd's farm in Kingsland, Manchester, recently, several crops were seen growing in a greenhouse - as opposed to the usual one-crop system.

Perelite

He cultivates tomato, sweet pepper, pak choi, lettuce and other vegetables. However, some of these crops are grown in a medium known as perelite. This has enabled him to grow crops on several levels with the use of drip irrigation.

"I stopped doing outdoor farming because I have found out that greenhouse farming is the way to go. It is more innovative because there is no outside interference from insects, rainfall and too much sun," explained Mr. Lloyd.

While he admitted that greenhouse farming was more expensive, Mr. Lloyd pointed out that the increased yields compensated for this. For example, the Manchester farmer noted that he was able to harvest crops all year round, while his counterparts who use the traditional method were only able to harvest crops for three months out of the year.

Mr. Lloyd noted that the use of perelite provided a medium free of nematodes and fungus and allowed for better aeration of plant roots. Furthermore, he said the weather did not affect production and lessened labour costs with the greenhouse.

The innovative farmer started out with one greenhouse and now owns four. The work, according to him, is "sweet" and he has no problem with marketing his crops.

He has plans to expand his farm with the addition of more greenhouses and new crops such as melon and other fruits.