Kayon Moorheell- Making farming his career choice

Angelo Laurence, Gleaner Writer

MARLIE HILL, Manchester: FARMING, UNTIL in recent years, was regarded as the occupation of last resort. However, for many young men and women, it has become the occupation of choice. This, along with the Ministry of Agriculture's drive to cut the importation bill for foreign produce with its 'Grow What You Eat and Eat What You Grow' campaign, has energised many young persons to enter the farming sector as a viable occupation.

Far from the glitter of the bright lights of the parish capital, Mandeville, a one-hour travel to Marlie Hill in south Manchester, can be a memorable one. Dotted with many historical sites, their tales known to few, except the elders of the various communities on the way. In Rose Corner, one of the many communities passed on the way, for example, there is a monument to mark the spot where the Moravians built their first primary school in 1828.

However, while the stories of years gone by are many, it is the picturesque scallion beds, plots of carrots and acres of sweet potato and other produce being marshaled by young men that grab your attention.

This was the case when The Gleaner, stumbled on one such young farmer, Kayon Moorheell, 21 years old, of Marlie Hill district. Donning his 1970s Afro-hairstyle, he was proud to give a tour of two plus acres of his watermelon farm. Unlike, other young men of the district, he sees sitting around doing nothing or waiting for some type of handout as unacceptable for personal growth. "I could be a mechanic, electrician or do something else but I love farming," Moorheell told The Gleaner. He said, however, the love of farming should not be the only reason for young people in particular to take it up as a profession.

You have to be sure this is what you want to do to earn your living from, he said, for this is a "rough and unpredictable business" with many obstacles that can prove disastrous. The lack of adequate water supply, drought, high cost of inputs and praedial larceny are the major obstacles, which with proper planning and a little luck one can overcome, he said. A graduate of Cross Keys High School, Moorheell is one of a growing number of young persons in the parish who have turned to farming as their chosen line of work. Like his peers, he too loves the football games and to play cricket as well as a dance or stage show on the weekend or public holiday. However, with somewhat of a bewildered look, he lamented "ah can't tek the behaviour of some of dem young people" when they go to these places.

disillusioned

Some of them, he said, "have no manners or respect for others". While picking one of the hundreds of watermelon laying about on the farm, and proudly holding it shoulder high, he sternly declared, "See this, dem wi come ya and nyam off the field but dem no want fi get dem hands dirty." With an air of disdain he said, they will beg me a melon or money, but they would never dig hole and drop a seed in it, but will complain that "nuttin nah gwaan". Like a country preacher with a message, Moorheell said too many young men like him in rural Jamaica are disillusioned with the lack of real opportunities to improve themselves from the Government or private-sector organisations. He admits there are programmes to help people like him, but he contends they cater more to persons who have "connections" or older farmers with collateral. With his love for farming and conviction that it is a viable occupation, Moorheell is committed to slicing off a large chunk of the nation's produce import expenditure for his own bank account.

While there are many sides to the stories and circumstances that affect the young men and women of south Manchester, for Kayon Moorheell, farming is a lifeline and respectable occupation that served his forefathers well and should be embraced.

rural@gleanerjm.com