Going Organic

One of our common fowl hens, Theresa, and her peeps

Since arriving in Bluefields, I have “gone organic” in a major way. I am studying it, promoting it, writing business plans for it, and eating it when it is available. For the next two years I will be working hard to get more farmers to go organic too. Have I raised any eyebrows yet?

Don’t get me wrong, I am still an equal-opportunity lover of agriculture in all of its forms. I think the mudslinging and misinformation in the organic vs. conventional contest is embarrassing for agriculture and erodes the ability to progress. Similar to other areas of the human existence, I believe research and development in new technologies, be they biotechnological or natural/organic, has the potential to greatly improve the human condition. But like I said, I am an agricultural pragmatist, if you will. I am for matching the food production system to local conditions in a way that achieves environmental, social, and economic sustainability and contributes to the most food security.

That being said, I feel very fortunate to have been placed with the Westmoreland Organic Farmers Specially Authorized Society (WOFSAS); the long name is a product of bureaucracy. Bluefields is a coastal community located along a bay that is rich in history and currently serves as a fish sanctuary. The terrain rises to 2000ft of elevation within a few miles of the shoreline. Most of the farmers work small plots of rocky government-owned ground with little hope of ever holding a deed for the land. Many farmers in Jamaica suffer from illiteracy, which is especially problematic and results in over-application or misuse when they apply chemical fertilizer, pesticides, and herbicides. This is problematic enough in gently sloping areas; can you imagine the impacts of over-application of agro-chemicals in a steep slope coastal region that is supposed to be serving as protected habitat for marine life? That’s just a small piece of the calculus that makes me confident that organic agriculture is optimal in the paradigm of environmental, social, and economic sustainability for Bluefields, Jamaica.

So there you have it, for the next two years I am all about organic agriculture (but don’t expect me to “take sides”). I really want WOFSAS and local farmers to achieve success in growing and marketing their organic produce to eager customers in the tourism and food industry in our little part of the island. I hope their children will grow to love growing things as much as their families and as much as I do. At the end of the day, it’s all about treating the land, the animals, and people with respect and keeping future generations in mind. And you don’t have to be certified anything to do that.

Bluefields Beginnings

Goat got stuck trying to get a mango seed out of the box

Well, we have officially been Peace Corps Volunteers at our site in Bluefields for two weeks. Our focus thus far has really just been on making our cabin into a home, getting to know people, and learning about the organizations we work with. This “take it slow” approach is encouraged by Peace Corps to achieve two things, 1) to integrate into our community in such a way that increases personal safety, and 2) to fully understand the local knowledge, history, and assets that will inform and shape projects going forward. In fact, Peace Corps doesn’t even provide Program Design & Management training until the Early Service Conference (four months into service) because of the pitfalls of trying to get a big project going before really understanding the environment.

Our Community

As someone who served two tours in Iraq as a soldier and three months in South Sudan as a civilian, I feel truly blessed to have been placed here in Bluefields, Jamaica. Many of the farms I work on provide scenic views that blend verdant land and indigo Caribbean Sea. It is nowhere near as cool as some of the mountainous sites like where we trained in Woodford, but even though the sweat pours all day, I think we can make it down to the local beach just about every weekend. There are a few upscale villas and a Sandals resort nearby, so on first meeting a lot of locals assume we are short-term tourists. However, after speaking a little Patois and explaining where we live and what we do, they warm right up.

Bus on right is a typical "15 Passenger" taxi

We are adjusting to things like waiting for small taxi buses that hold 15 people, but cramming in with 20 or more. Our cabin is not plumbed into any public water service, so we haul water to the house in jugs and buckets. We have a 300 gallon tank next to the house designed to catch rainwater off of the roof to shower and flush the toilet, but since we haven’t gotten any rain I have had to haul water up on the roof to pour into the tank and may have to do it again soon. I am once again taking “combat showers” like in Iraq, which means turning on the water to get wet, then turning it off to scrub and turning it on again to quickly rinse off. We also only flush the toilet after going number two. One quickly becomes conscious of water consumption when you carry it all by hand.

Fixing up future Heritage Center

Some highlights of my activities so far include helping fix up an old police building that will become a heritage center for Bluefields, digging holes and putting in fence posts with a goat farmer, planting corn with my supervisor, and planning sessions with key leaders of the Westmoreland Organic Farmers Specially Authorized Society (WOFSAS). A lot of our work over the course of the year will include getting the group officially registered with the government, increasing the output of value-added organic products, and planning the second annual Bluefields Organic Expo & Sorrel Festival on December 19 & 20, 2012. 

Products made by WOFSAS

Unfortunately, I have a touch of the flu so I am going to cut things off here. We have the internet back up and running in our cabin, so feel free to leave a comment/question or shoot me an email.