Residents of Eighth Street, Greenwich Town, Kingston, going to work in their community last week. In October, the area of land that the farm now occupies was nothing but bush and weed.

Marlon Vickerman, Features Writer

Eighth Street in Greenwich Town, Kingston, is far from being your 'average' inner-city area. At first glance, one would probably disagree, but before you do, just think, when was the last time you saw a farm in an inner-city area? Or, even sunflowers that were actually beautiful, for that matter? Well, this is what sets Eighth Street apart from others.

It is no secret that in the aftermath of the August 2007 passage of Hurricane Dean, a large percentage of the Corporate Area's low-income, inner-city communities were left in dire need of housing, or in some cases, better housing.

Charitable organisation Food For the Poor was quick on the draw in this regard. But, it was during one of these housing-solution operations, partnered by Red Cross (providing hygiene and grocery packages) and the Lion's Club of New Kingston, that the latter partner asked: "Other than providing better housing, how can additional efforts be made to further enhance the quality of life on Eighth Street?" The answer came on the spot, a spot that measured almost an acre and needed clearing.

"The initial plan was really to help the residents, in partnership with Food For the Poor, through providing housing units because the houses they previously had were destroyed by the hurricane, but, we were still looking for ways to continue contributing to the community positively," says Angela Patterson, president of the Lions Club of New Kingston. "So, we noticed a large area of land behind the housing units being built which was not being utilised, so the idea of the garden came about."

She also discloses that Food For the Poor was again active, this time, in providing farming and gardening tools and technical expertise.

Hidden monument

Patterson further discloses that during the clearing process, as the land was severely overgrown, a monument in memory of 500 persons who lost their lives in the January earthquake and fire of 1907 that destroyed Kingston, was discovered. Judging from the lush look of the area being cultivated, it is rather hard to believe that just two months before, it had been a field of bush and weed.

Junior Grant, 43, has been a resident of Eighth Street all his life. The resident-now-turned farmer, sees the farming initiative, made possible through the Lions Club and Food For the Poor, as a welcome move. "It was in October that the work on the little farm here start, but mi nah lie, it going on good. Mi love how it developing the community. Mi can't tell how much I appreciate the Lions Club and Food For the Poor for making this happen," he relates. "Last Saturday, we had the first reap-and-sell and we please with how it went. We made a little income from it, so we just need to keep it going like that," Grant says. He adds that before the farm came about, the main source of income for much of the families in the community was fishing, which had its fair season of slow sales.

Residents in the community all work the farm. Wednesdays and Saturdays are the days set for planting and clearing. The idea is to expand the land to facilitate livestock rearing. Carrots, cabbage, lettuce, peppers, sweet pepper, okra, sorrel, cucumber, watermelon, callaloo and coconuts, to name a few, are also grown.

Marlon.vickerman@gleanerjm.com