–for elderly Ituni farmers

A GROUP of elderly subsistence farmers from the small, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) community of Ituni is now left with nothing much to sell as thieves are reaping their crops before them.
The men, whose main income is from selling the produce from their small-scale farms, said the situation is extremely frustrating, since the little old-age pension they get cannot meet all their expenses.

And now they are no longer as spry as they used to be, they say they can no longer log, which is the mainstay of the small community; so, all they’re left to do now is use whatever little strength they have left in their weary bones to farm. While most of what they plant they use, what’s left when they’re done they sell at the community’s market.
But of late, the men say they have been sowing but not getting to reap the fruits of the labour. Samuel George, who is 80, says the situation is “unbecoming”.
He normally sows eddoes, dasheen, plantains, cassava and bananas. “When you plant, people reaping; and that is bad, Mr George said. “I wasn’t feeling well, so I went away for a four weeks at my daughter. And when meh come back, all meh big-big eddoe dem gone! Is sand alone dem lef’ fuh me to plant back fuh dem!
A former employee of the bauxite company, Mr George says it not like him to beg for anything; so that is why he tries to help himself.

NOT LIKE BEFORE
He said the Ituni he knew of old is no more; back then, he said, everyone went about their business without fear. “Ituni is not like the Ituni they had before; they got a lot of different people coming in the community and spoiling it.”
And it’s pointless making a report, he said, as they have no idea who the culprits are. “It is unfair to know an old old man helping me’self and people doing these things to me,” he said.
Another of the elderly farmers is Mr Clifton Thom, who lives all alone. He said he normally does subsistence farming in the backlands of Ituni, and has been having the same experience of late as Mr George. He, too, said the situation is very unfair for old men like them.
And to make matters worse, they both said, not only do they have to contend with thieves but stray cows as well!

These animals not only break down the fences around the farms, but also trample on the produce. Mr. George said the last time his farm was so beset, he lost around $30,000 worth of crops, and is still waiting on the cows’ owner to compensate him for his loss.
But he’s lucky that someone did come forward and claim ownership of the animals, as most times no-one does, which makes it hard for justice to be served.
Both Mr George and Mr Thom are recommending that more land be given to residents of the community so that they can have their own farms rather than steal from others. They also recommend that more job opportunities be made available for young people, so they will not be tempted to steal. They also hope that something can be done about the stray cows, preferably that the authorities employ stray catchers, which would certainly go a long way in helping cattle owners be more responsible.