Farm Visits

View from one of the farms

The current project that I am working on involves working with farmers in the Blue Mountains of Eastern Jamaica. I live in a "Urban" area with the hussle and bustle of "ubran" life so I enjoy my days up in the hills. These days consist of driving with my counterpart up windy, pot holed, one lane roads littered with people, goats, dogs, horses or mules, sometimes cows, stalled vehicles and what not. The drive from Port Antonio usually takes about 45 minutes to a hour. If I am lucky I get to sit in the front and can reach the destination without getting too car sick.

Also these farms are not what you would typically think of. These farms are more like jungles. Steep hills with a lot of vegetation. It also rains a lot (usually when we do farm visits). The rain gods have been good to Jamaica this summer- some farmers say this is the most rain they have ever seen in a summer.

I have been learning a lot about farming in exchange for teaching a little about soil erosion and the importance of trees! Here are some pictures from the area that I have been spending a lot of my time.

A farm on the top of a ridge- note the current pineapple (a good soil stabilizer)