By Utamu Belle
For women of the Speightland community situated in Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara- Berbice), farming is more than just planting seeds in the ground and watching them grow – it is a way of life which many have grown to love.
Speightland is a small, close-knit community located on the Mackenzie shore of Linden, in close proximity to the old Alumina Plant. Approximately 90 per cent of the population is Indigenous, with subsistence farming and fishing being two of its major economic activities.
While much of the community’s male population are farmers who grow vegetables as a means of supporting their families as well as supplying the market, the women have refused to be left behind.
A walk through Speightland would reveal its love for planting – from kitchen gardens to well thought-out, beautifully decorated yards of flowering plants. And many of the community’s women have transformed their yards into a haven for growing vegetables and fruits.
The Sunday Times Magazine recently spoke with some of these women, who shared their experiences with rediscovering their love for farming while others shared their undying love for the practice.
The members of the community are quite welcoming, much like the calm, peaceful and relaxing Demerara River which runs through it. Take 50-year-old housewife Verna Lorrimer, for example, who was born and raised in the community. Lorrimer, who is a mother of four, told this publication that she learnt a lot about farming from her mother, who was versed in the trade.
She noted that as a child, she wasn’t too keen on farming and strayed away from her mother’s teachings in this regard as an adult; however, she said a love for the activity was recently cultivated in her heart. Displaying her bountiful garden of freshly-grown tomatoes and other vegetables spread around her yard, Lorrimer said she was happy to plant again as she was now reaping the benefits.
“I learned from my mom, because my mom used to go to the creek and farm. When the school closed, sometimes we would go and spend the whole two weeks or when school close for August, we went for the whole two months,” she noted.
Recalling her childhood days, Lorrimer reminisced on using paddle boats at the time to get to her mother’s farm, an activity which is a way of life for residents to this day.
“I never liked it (farming) when I was small, but now as I get big and I start planting a little thing on my own, I get to like it,” she said.
She added that she loved the fact that her vegetables were all natural and not cultivated with too many fertilisers, so she did not have to deal with the issue of them spoiling too quickly. Apart from that, Lorrimer said she was able to save a few pennies owing to the fact that she did not have to spend on vegetables and fruits.
Additionally, growing and sharing food with neighbours is a common practice in the tightly-knit community.
“When I cut banana, sometimes it’s five, six bunches of banana. I just share it around,” Lorrimer related.
Some of the women explained that they would grow vegetables for their households as well as to sell and would also purchase from other women to sell in some cases. The women plant a variety of vegetables and fruits, including sweet corn, tomatoes, ginger, pumpkin, sorrel, corilla, bora, lettuce, pakchoi, celery, thick leaf calaloo, eshalots, pepper, cucumber, boulanger, sweet potato and mustard.
Fishing is also a hobby shared by the Speightland women. They explained that they would go out at nights with their torch lights to catch fish. The excitement in their voices when explaining the process was convincing enough. Fishes such as patwa, hymara, bara and hourie are caught using the ‘hook rod’.
“We does go and catch fish, creek fish. Fresh fish – out the water, straight to the pot,” Lorrimer said humorously. “We go up in the creek at night and we juk with spear or we catch with rod. Day time you does catch with hook rod. It does nice, man!” she continued, clear excitement in her voice.This publication also caught up with Lavern and Alicia Stellingburg, sisters who have transformed their entire yard into a farmer’s paradise. They explained that apart from the numerous vegetables they grow in their yards, they are now starting on ginger. This, they explained, is a new challenge since they never tried growing ginger in the muddy soil previously.
In describing her long-time love for farming, Lavern said: “I used to farm a long time in the backyard. I love farming. You plant and whatever is too much, you sell or you give it away.”
While Lavern, a mother of three, has been more into farming over the years, Alicia explained that she was only recently motivated to venture into farming after having little to do with her life. Prior to this, she said she would spend her time sleeping for the most part. Being around a family of farmers, it was hard for her to continue like this.
The women said they started off with only two beds in their own yard before they were motivated to expand. They grow eshalots in basins shaded from the sun by the fruit trees in the yard. Many sorrel trees of varying species surround the outer corners of the yard, while numerous beds of vegetables and fruits are dispersed throughout. They also grow citrus fruits, including orange, tangerine, lemon and lime. Their brothers also have their own farms at a different location.
The women noted that they recently purchased a water can, since it was difficult to water the plants using a hose given the large number of beds. The can, they noted, makes the task a lot easier. They purchase their seeds and seedlings from a local supplier in the community. Their family, they explained, are now more empowered through farming. Alicia said she has found her passion and encourages other youths who may not have a sense of direction to consider farming, be it on a small or large scale. She said, in her experience, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, positing that she has discovered value within herself and is proud to be independent, all thanks to farming.
As for Lorrimer, she encourages the youth especially to utilise their land meaningfully through farming. This, she noted, can be done right in their own backyard.
“Find a piece of land, start on a small scale. You got to get the courage and you got to get the mind. Farming is something nice, you benefit a lot from it. Sometimes you benefit so much, you don’t have to go and work with nobody. It can employ you,” she advised.
These women represent just a fraction of the women in the community who are being empowered and self-employed through subsistence farming. They are firm believers in the “Grow More” food initiative.
