Having turned their passion into profit, sisters, Tashana and Latoya Newell of Ramble, St Thomas, are enjoying independence and time freedom through their beloved farming ventures.
The duo, who were inspired by their father, an ardent farmer, are growers of onions, sweet peppers, cucumbers, watermelons, pineapples, bananas, plantains and ackees. They also dabble in livestock by raising chickens. In an interview at the 70th staging of the Denbigh Agricultural, Industrial and Food Show recently, Tashana explained that it was the experience of her son being asthmatic and having to leave her job to tend to him when he needed her, that fully propelled her into farming.
“I wanted something to do on my own time and have time for him. And, because my dad was a farmer, I started to farm, and here I am years later and I am loving it,” she said. Now a full-time farmer, Tashana and her sister sell their produce to farmers, vendors and companies.
For Latoya, farming is a highly lucrative venture, which women can use to earn a living for themselves.
“It is one way for women to become independent and to help themselves out of poverty and provide for their families. Some households in Jamaica are single-mother households, so it is a positive way to have a good backing,” she said.
Tashana points out that her eight-year-old daughter has drawn inspiration from her mother and aunt and is also loving farming. “She asks for seeds, and she even had her onion last season,” Tashana recalls.
The Newell sisters were among a group of St Thomas farmers who were taken to the Denbigh show by the parish’s Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) office.
The show was scaled down from its usual three-day format to a one-day staging, due to the passage of Hurricane Beryl in July.
Tashana explains that despite the Hurricane, “When you come to Denbigh, you always get sales and you get things a little cheaper, so we decided to take the opportunity.”
“The vibe that we got [at Denbigh], we were saying ‘wow, the three days could have kept’,” Latoya adds.
They say they were impressed with the turnout from both patrons and farmers and were equally appreciative of learning about new chemicals to try on their farms and useful information to boost their resilience for future adversities.
