Did you know that there are six communities in Jamaica that are named after the country Mexico? Well, The Star visited one of these communities recently that is located just 10 miles away from Linstead, St Catherine.

The very quiet area is a farming community that is adjoining areas such as Coolshade and Wakefield, also in the parish.

Several residents told us that if they should get piped water, it would put smiles on their faces, as the area is crime free and is developing.

Pastor for the Coolshade Miracle Gospel Lighthouse, Trevor White, gave us a tour of the area and told us that persons can sleep with their doors open at nights.

"It was the Mexican ambassador who visited the area and informed us that there are six communities in the island named after Mexico. Everywhere I go, people ask me where I come from, I tell dem Mexico and dem a ask me if a foreign mi come from. We don't have any worries about crime here, the main problem is water. We have to depend on the rainfall as there is no river here," White, who is also a farmer, said.

lack of water

"The houses here are far apart from each other and most people do their little farming. Right now di farmers are having an issue with rats that are eating up their produce. I can take you and show you how the rats bite up my plantains. We have to pay attention to the crops."

Due to the lack of water in the area, the residents say that their Member of Parliament (MP), would truck water to them or they would have to buy the commodity for $500 per drum from a private individual.

"Our MP, Ken Baugh, send yam heads for us and fertilisers, but a from me born no water not in the place and me is a man dat do all kind of farming," Everton McCalla, another farmer, said.

Devon Lee, 29, also a farmer, said he is satisfied with farming as his profession, "Farming is what I know from I was about 10 and mi satisfied from farming. Right now, there is a lot more crops dat I can plant but because of the lack of water, I am hampered. Di next ting is that di rat dem a eat up di sweet potatoes, so I have to set poison to kill dem," Lee said.

Melzader Robinson, who has been living in the district for more than 30 years, says she does a little of most things for a living.

"Farming is challenging; but I think that there are too many doctors and nurses, more young people should go into farming," Robinson shared.