This week the Pepperpot Magazine visited Experiment Village in West Coast Berbice, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice).

Experiment is a village located about 56 miles from the city and it is bordered by Naarstigheid and Plantation Hope villages.

Chairman of the Bath/Woodley Park Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) Krishna Sewlall told the Pepperpot Magazine that Experiment Village falls within the Bath/Woodley Park NDC and the village was established in the 90s.

He related that within Experiment an area was earmarked and developed for a housing scheme in which a cottage industry was expected to rise with 100 house lots for mainly large businesses but the area was converted by this administration earlier this year into a residential area.

The housing scheme in which 20 units (houses) were constructed by the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), was commissioned in April this year but remains unoccupied.

Experiment is home to about 150 families with about 250 residents, who work in offices, are cash crops farmers, business people and cane cutters employed by the Blairmont Estate.

Sewlall added that the village has potable water supply, electricity, a health centre, churches, a community centre ground and shops.

He pointed out that within the NDC area of Bath and Woodley Park there about 1,500 sugar workers and the villages are the largest producers of eschallot and celery which are wholesaled across Guyana.

In the rural development plan, the area saw the re-paving of roads and the clearing of drains within the communities which was spearheaded under the NDC.

However, Sewlall reported that four years ago they had 54 Strategic Investment Programme (SIP) workers and to date, they only have 11 and it is not adequate because the area is large for the SIP workers to manage in the community enhancement programme.

He disclosed that the NDC needs a landfill site to dump refuse from the villages that fall under the NDC and presently they are utilising private lands at Bath.

Sewlall added that often taxpayers monies are being used to execute many developmental projects within the villages and there is the need for the re-paving of internal streets within Experiment Village.

Cash crop farmer
The Pepperpot Magazine encountered a single mother of two, Sieta Crisendatt, who has a vibrant kitchen garden in her yard and is planting crops of lettuce, celery, eschallot and calaloo.

The Suriname-born woman explained that she is living at her deceased mother’s property, which is the last house in the village and her life is very hard because she has to take care of two children in her care.

This 39-year-old has another job as a domestic worker and she would also get up as early as 03:30hrs and use the light from her cell phone to tend to her garden.

“I prefer to work when the place is cool than in the sun but the sandflies usually bother me a lot but I have to work anyhow,” she said.

At first, Crisendatt used to plant only greens and she was tasked with walking and selling after reaping the produce but with the celery and eschallot she has a ready-made market for it and doesn’t have to go anywhere to sell.

“The buyers usually come to my house to make purchases so that is easy on me after I weigh it, it is sold at the market price per pound and I get my money, used is often used to re-plant,” she said. “You see with this country life you can’t sit down, you have to do something because, with children to mind, you can’t afford to be lazy or get sick.”

She related that she used to work at a store but the pay was low and she later became self-employed and started her own small business.

Crisendatt added that she doesn’t use any fertiliser on her crops only manure and she is happy there are no pests or blight problems in her garden.

She also uses pipe water to water her crops and said it is wholesome and of good quality, because it is organic.

Crisendatt told the Pepperpot Magazine that eschallot takes six to seven weeks to fully grow, lettuce takes five weeks and celery grows faster if the soil condition is good.

Crisendatt says that she does what she has to do even ‘with two jobs and she still has to contend with household chores because she wants to provide a good quality of life for her children while doing so alone.

Adrian Narine photos saved in a folder in Graphics as Experiment.