WITH inspiration from an elderly gentleman in the village, two young men were motivated to become entrepreneurs in the area of farming.

They are Delvin Thompson and Ceon Samuels, both residents of Nelson Street, Mocha, East Bank Demerara.

Speaking to the Pepperpot Magazine Thompson said he took the advice of the wise Mr. Reginald Daniels and went into farming seven years ago after formally completing his secondary education.

At that point, Thompson stated that he was unsure what to do for a job and the well-respected Mr. Daniels encouraged him to become self-employed by farming.

“I grew up in front of Mr. Daniels and I know he would not deceive me, as such, I told myself I can do it and I became a full-time farmer,” he said.

Today, unlike most young men his age, Thompson is cultivating coconut plants on a large scale and is also into ground provisions farming which he sells to most households in his village.

He said, “I really like farming, to see my plants grow and this job is a family business where relatives assist in planting the backlands of Block B, Arcadia.”

The 28-year-old stated that once you are familiar with the know-how of farming it is not difficult to start with the application of common sense, but he added that some specialised knowledge of farming can prove to be beneficial.

“Farming is not a walk in the park and should not be taken lightly because it entails long hours of hard work and is a profession in which one has to exercise some form of patience,” Thompson said.

Apart from being a farmer, this well-spoken young man is still trying to enhance his life and has completed training in bee-keeping and rearing.

He, however, plans to make it a business in the near future where he will extract honey from the hives to sell.

Meanwhile, 21-year-old Ceon Samuels has been farming for the past three years and cultivates more than 30 acres of land located in the backlands of Arcadia village.

He plants coconuts, bananas, plantains and cash crops, most of which are sold right in the community.

Samuels told the Pepperpot Magazine that at first, he was not into farming and if anybody would have told him before then that he would become one he would have laughed it off.

Today, this young man is proud of his achievements and has dedicated his time into large scale farming with the hope that his crops would not be swallowed up by flood waters when the rainy season comes.

“I was inspired by Mr. Daniels and as a person who I admired growing up, I took his advice and started to farm and I enjoy seeing the fruits of my labour especially when it comes to the reaping stage,” Samuels said.

Having invested so much time, farming has become a part of his life and he is willing to continue but would like to have the lease for the land he currently utilises for his crops.

Samuels is of the view that with the relevant documents in hand his future in farming is secure and would like the authorities to assist in this regard.

Being single does not bother him a lot because there isn’t much time left for anything else since he spends a lot of time in the backlands on his farm making sure his crops are not destroyed by rodents and other pests.

“Being a young farmer has opened avenues for me and things are happening and I am proud of the person I have become in which I am more responsible and can run my own business,” Samuels said.

Reginald Daniels told the Pepperpot Magazine that he likes to see young people prosper and occupy their time in a meaningful way.

He is familiar with both Thompson and Samuels as villagers and more so, good young men, who just wanted direction to propel themselves into a business venture to become marketable.

Daniels said it was not difficult convincing the youths to get into farming and now they have realised their true potential there is no stopping them.