Meet BVI Farmers

Arona George-Dewindt

Meet Arona George-Dewindt a lady who has been in farming for well over 20 years. While seated at her booth at last week's Agricultural Exhibition, she spoke to the Island Sun about her involvement in agriculture. "I usually do ornamental plants and a little bit of fruit trees," she said. According to Arona, one could find a variety of vegetables in her backyard garden. My garden has a little sweet pepper, okra, eggplant, and pineapples, she said. She noted that she also plants fruits trees. Among these are "mangoes, oranges and guava and I also have a golden apple tree." This female farmer learnt the craft from young. "I love plants from a little kid and I used to go and steal my grandmother’s corn and peas, and plant them," she told The Island Sun. "That started the whole thing." Arona believes that this year's exhibition was better than last year's. "It seem to be a lot better than last year," she said, "last year I didn't do anything because I was sick, but when I came last year and see what's going on I said hopefully next year God's spare life things would be lot better and it is a lot better." What do you think were the highlights of this year's exhibition? "A lot of fruits trees, plants and herbs," she replied. "I see people are very interested in those things." Asked to sum up the show she said, "great, excellent!"

Benjamin Peters

Benjamin Peters hails from the island of St. Vincent but has been living in the BVI for many years and farming in the BVI for the past 17 years. He tends to two plots of lands, one at Paraquita Bay and the other at Beef Island. "I grow peanuts, sweet potatoes, cassava, tomatoes, egg plant rice saffron, and broccoli," he said about the variety of crops he cultivates. He expressed the view that agriculture "is very easy once you have the fine print and you know how to do it." Asked about problems facing him in his efforts to produce he said, around the summer we usually have to combat scales which is a pest for the tomatoes and white fly," He said there is another bug “that is really a bother, but being an experience farmer you know how to get around those things." Benjamin sells his crops locally. "Sometimes when the crop is right I sell to K-Marks and the other supermarkets such as Bobby's and locally around the island," he explained. What are your views on this year's exhibition? "It wasn't up to mark because of the devastation of the back to back hurricanes but all in all it wasn't too bad," he said. He said he had no problem selling his produce because "by now people are health conscious so they go for the local stuff."

Stanley Nibbs

Meet Stanley Nibbs who resides at Horse Path but cultivates lands at Great Mountain. Stanley operates a five-acre farm and mixes his produce with fruits and vegetables. "I have cabbage, beet, lettuce, sugar cane, bananas, and tanya," he said as he recalled the many crops he cultivates. Stanley is a career farmer. Asked how long he has been a farmer he replied, "a very long time, from since I was a young man," he said, chuckled and added, "but now I am an old man now." About his enjoyment of farming, he had one word, "nice, nice." He takes his produce to the Road Town Market every Saturday! He said in the past "I used to go East End (to sell) but I find that was so hard so I took the short way I go to the market." Stanley had high praises for the Agriculture Department. "The government people gave me a lot of instructions about farming,” he said “they still help me out a lot." He said the Department provides him with tanks when he needs to get water and also assists him after the hurricanes. "When I got destroyed by the hurricane they helped me," he said. "When the hurricane strip me naked last year I came up here with my wife and she bought a lot of slips for me." He added that he also received a lot of seeds from the Department to plant. Asked to comment about young people’s involvement in farming he said " I don't see much young people in farming, I would like to see more of that (young people in farming) but they aren't studying," he said. "that all they studying is this drugs and they don't want agriculture. Stanley said he speaks to young men in his area about farming but they are not interested. "I speak to them but they say "Mr. Stanley we like the food but it is very hard for them," he said. "When come to cutting the bush and cultivate they say they don’t have much energy for that." He said when they give that response he would usually say "look at me, an old man, and they said "but Mr. Stanley you build strong."

Silvia Wattley

"From the time I was born, I met my parents doing farming so I have been in it all my life," explained Silvia Wattley who operates a farm in Huntums Ghut. Silvia started farming as a part-time occupation but “I take it over all together now and it is what I do for a living." She acknowledges that farming is hard work but was quick to add, "don't pay it no mind, I have it to do so I just do it." Little less than half acre What do you grow? She sighed, said "oh boy" then list them as cabbage, purple cabbage, thyme, ginger, celery, parsley, okra, peanuts, peas, and bananas. How are you able to grow so many crops on such a small piece of land? "I plant a little of everything," Silvia responded. Like several other small farmers, Silvia sells her produce on a weekly basis at the Road Town Market and "to anybody who will buy." About this exhibition she said, "this one cannot compare with last year," noting that "I have been to all of them." Quizzed about the theme for Farmers' Week, which emphasised the involvement of youth in agriculture, she said, "they have to go and look for those young people, I know that young people do not want their nails to be dirty," Silvia said with a smile. You might find one or two young people willing to go into the dirt but the majority of them want long fingernails."