No parent ever tells their child/children to grow up to be them. It is always a push for descendants to succeed and climb a much higher lander than those that came before. Any success is measured against what parents have done and accomplished.
A man or woman of the soil, considers it a failure of his or her child to return to the farm. Don't get me wrong. They can return but in the style and fashion of success. Acres and acres of land with value..Acreage with modern technology on ending. Acreage with large sums of money in the bank. Acreage with a degree behind a name. Acreage and acreage....
The land and those who treasure the land with it's abundance have never and perhaps will never get the recognition and the respect that is due to them. Even the child that grows up loving the land gives up after society and family negative bombardment. Sad as it maybe this is the reality of life for many in the Caribbean.
Agriculture continues to lose the youths..at least meaningful agriculture... Much of society is aware of the "alternative" farming and agriculture that exist. It's all about fast money with great returns. This is in sharp contrast with the view of hard work with little return.
Perhaps with effective marketing this may change, perhaps..perhaps.. I don't know of any fast fixes for agriculture and mere love and enthusiasm has not turned the sector around. What to do? What to do?
People of the land are not invited to the fancy balls and dinners. People of the lands are not called upon to make speeches. People of the land are not seen as symbols of heroism and of treasure. Perhaps if we were prominent doctors, lawyers, engineers, technicians, Bill Gates, Rihanna, Kobe Bryant.. Maybe then respect will be ours. Isn't it ironic that all the above cannot be who they are with out the people of the land... How ironic...really the irony.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T, small word, big value
Sustang D Fergus
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