Farmer randy’s story

And while this may, indeed, be the reality for many in the field, Kevin Randy Jackson insists there is no other profession more fulfilling.

“I like to see the seeds germinate, to see the fruits of your labour and people really loving and appreciating your product,” Jackson, owner of Cole & Jackson Enterprises, declared in a Sunday Newsday interview.

The 37-year-old, though, did away with large scale, field production four years ago in exchange for hydroponics farming, an innovative, yet highly technical form of agro-production, which, he said, has made agriculture “a whole lot easier.” At his green house - a princely 100x30ft structure in Chatham, south Trinidad, the young farmer and his wife, Natalia Cole Jackson, have developed a reputation for specialist produce, including English cucumbers, butter head lettuce, cherry tomatoes, broccoli sprouts, herbs and other items.

“I don’t do regular stuff. I do items for a niche market,” he said.

But his hydroponics system is unlike most in TT, Jackson said.

“It is a fully automatic system.

I control the environment, sunlight, water and nutrients,” he said, adding that the system also was environment-friendly. “My green house is fully-enclosed and no harmful pesticides are used.” Jackson, who navigates between his Tacarigua home and Chatham to earn a living, said although he made a fairly decent living since venturing into hydroponics farming, there have been slow periods.

“But I love what I do. If I did not, it does not make sense doing it,” he quickly added.

Jackson told Sunday Newsday his grandfather, Joseph Maximay, who lives in Chatham, exposed him to agriculture as a young boy.

“He had a huge, five acre-plot where he grew cassava, pumpkin, tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables,” Jackson said of Maximay.

During that time, he recalled his grandfather had a hard time getting help from persons who genuinely loved the field.

Later, as an adult, Jackson said he worked as a cook with several companies for a number of years before finally deciding to go into farming full-time.

“I remember one time, I was not working as a cook for a long period after my contract expired and I found that if I was cooking food for so long, why not get into the main source of growing the food,” he recalled.

Jackson said his grandfather, now in his 80s, played a significant role in the development of his business and continued to be a fountain of wisdom.

“I have been incorporating technology with my grandfather’s old school theories and it has worked for me,” he said.

With the proper procedure and conditions, Jackson said after periods of six weeks, he can produce as many as 2,000 heads of lettuce at the green house.

“I have had no regrets since I started,” he said.

Jackson described hydroponics farming as a used water and soilless medium to grow plants.

He said hydroponics farming at his green house also used 20 percent less space than field production.

Hydroponics farming, Jackson said, also made harvesting easier and required fewer workers on the job.

Saying that pests and the environment can be better managed, Jackson said typically seasonal crops could also grown year-round.

On the down side, Jackson said hydroponics farming systems were not cheap (he received funding from the Agricultural Development Bank but also saved toward the venture).

He said production also was limited in comparison to field production.

Jackson noted, too, that lapses in the technical aspects of the process could spell disaster for crops.

“Without soil to serve as a buffer, if your system fails, the plants will die. When comparing technology to the field, the slightest thing could destroy your whole crop,” he said, adding that many people still were not educated about hydroponics processing.

Although he has only been involved in hydroponics farming for the past few years, Jackson said he does not consider himself a veteran in the field.

However, the young farmer revealed that his 15 years of experience in agriculture, generally, has taught him the importance of hard work, determination and sacrifice, all of which are vital ingredients to survive in the field.

Jackson’s day begins at about 6 am but may vary depending on the number of activities to be carried out at the green house.

“I do not need to be in the green house every day, which is one of the advantages of hydroponics farming,” he said.

“Sometimes, I would sow seeds and transplant but other times, I may just check the temperature and fertiliser or harvest. There are days when I would finish work by 11 o’clock. With hydroponics, the hardest thing is marketing, not production.” The Santa Cruz-based Green Market, he said, has been a powerful marketing tool for Cole and Jackson Enterprises Ltd.

The farmer said he also tries regularly to visit companies to enlighten them about his business.

Observing that agriculture continued to receive measly allocations in budget statements over the years (the sector received $831 million this fiscal year), Jackson insisted that significant sums must be pumped into the sector for it to realise its fullest potential.

“Agriculture should be one of the main things because a country has to be able to feed itself instead of importing some of the same products we grow locally,” he argued.

Despite much effort to attract young people to the sector, Jackson observed that many young people still were not drawn to agriculture largely because of its unglamorous, labour-intensive nature.

Jackson said the fluctuating financial returns within the sector also was a deterrent for many young people.

“The payment is uncertain unlike other industries,” he said, observing that many people preferred to work in CEPEP, which paid labourers around $80 a day.

Jackson said many career farmers, due to the hardship they experienced, also did not want their children involved in agriculture and encouraged them to pursue other professions.

Saying that the Government had developed the sector over the years, especially through the provision of technical advice for farmers, Jackson said more still could be done to improve the lot of those in the field and to make agriculture generally more appealing.

“The farmer, first and foremost, is a businessman. They have to produce the food, market it and transport it to various locations, everything a normal businessman would do. So, we definitely have to raise the profile,” he said.

Jackson suggested that the Government could subsidise the cost of machinery for farmers to assist with production costs.

Jackson also urged them to push more aggressively for a “Buy Local” campaign.