A section of one of the roads which collapsed in the community following the passage of hurricane Sandy in 2012. - Gareth Davis photos

One of the many farmers on his farm.

Some of the banana crops.

King on a section of his farm, clearing away shrubs.

Stony Hill, Portland:

Farming is the premier occupation for most residents at Stony Hill in Portland, who have contributed heavily to the local agriculture sector, despite their being affected by deplorable road conditions leading to their lands.

Farmers like Rudolph King, Winston Steel, and Jasper Redwood have stuck to their livelihood for many years now, planting banana, dasheen, scotch bonnet pepper, tomato, yams, plantain, and pumpkin, which are sold to other residents, vendors, and also at the Musgrave market.

"I entered farming in 1974," said King. He continued, "Well I was somewhat involved before, but I started to invest heavily in farming round about 1974. Since then, I have stuck to it. I believe in agriculture and any country that can feed itself will thrive. I consider myself a major player in the agriculture sector, who is aiming to provide the local people with a variety of organic food."

King's comments have been met in identical fashion by Steel and Redwood, who also started farming in the early 1970s. The two, who are neighbouring farmers, share adjoining properties in the Shot Over area of Stony Hill. They indicated that they were committed to farming, despite a number of challenges, including bad roads and no piped water, affecting them.

"The costs for fertiliser and other farming chemicals are far too high," said Steel. "When I put in 300 suckers of banana, 200 hills of yam, dasheen, and plantain, the cost for fertilisers and pesticides is simply not affordable. I have to use unconventional means at times to prevent insects from eating my pak choy, pepper, and callaloo."

And while the three men have planted crops in abundance, other residents, including Renford Brown, Jennifer Smith, and Henry Dawson, are also engaged in backyard farming, which they claim has helped to minimise their spending at the market. they, too, are calling for improvements to be done to their basic infrastructure, including road, light, and water.

The Stony Hill residents, who have long since accepted farming as their way of life, despite the presence of some professionals including teachers, health practitioners, police officers, and other civil servants, argued that they are often hampered in their efforts and day-to-day activities by deplorable road conditions and other issues.

"It is only God that has kept us going. We are blessed by the elements and the good Lord always takes care of his own. We have no piped water at Stony Hill, which has a population of approximately 3,500 residents. Rainwater is what we rely on daily to do our domestic chores, water plants and crops, and to cook food for our animals (pigs)," said Brown.

He added, "Stony Hill has never had water from the National Water Commission, and about a year ago, we managed to organise our own water system, which worked for a while, but I was told that the high cost of electricity along with damage to the pipeline during heavy rains, caused it to crash. This is a friendly community, which is basically crime-free."