THIS week the Pepperpot Magazine visited the quiet, farming countryside village of Unity, East Bank Essequibo, to highlight the way of life of the people.

The journey was over land, which entailed crossing the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) and driving to Parika, then turning through the Hubu Access Road, which leads to many small villages along that stretch of road.

Unity Village is located between Blake and Hubu communities, and it is bordered by the Essequibo River and the vast farmlands.

It is home to about 250 residents, mostly farmers, homemakers and self-employed people, whose way of life is very simple, but they are hardworking.

Unity Village is the home of ground provisions, bananas, plantains and cash crops sold to both wholesale and retail buyers for resale.

The main economic activities of the people are farming and poultry rearing.

The people of Unity Village are very kind, welcoming and are the most hospitable of peoples, who would drop whatever they are doing to engage in friendly banter.

The village has a cemetery, one church, one rum shop, a sawmill and a small shop.

It is a small community where most people are either on their farms or out selling their produce.

Just a handful of the locals work outside the village, and some women are farmers, vendors, housewives and some are self-employed.

It is a quiet, breezy place, where the only noise comes from passing vehicles that traverse that stretch of road going to sawmills and places.

The Hubu Access Road has three kokers, with the last being at Hubu and it is a busy place, since produce from the islands in the Essequibo River, and other villages that are on the mainland would be offloaded there.

Farmers utilise the kokers to get to their farms via speed boats and paddle boats which is often miles away.

In the same way, they would bring out their produce to be marketed.

Unity is a village of families, most people are related, and they reside side by side, and they have good cooperation among themselves.

The community has electricity, landline and internet services and a potable water supply, which is overly rich in iron content and is often smelly.

Most people plant their own vegetables and fruits, as such, they hardly ever buy, but other essentials are sourced at Parika, a central hub for business, or in the city.

The locals are from the village, and there are no strangers in this community, which is very close-knit.

It is a safe neighbourhood, and the people would leave their doors open all the time.

In Unity Village, the people do more than one job to bring in incomes to the homes and mostly rear chickens, make things to sell or utilise their skills, right from the comfort of their homes.

The village is a place of many flowers, trees and budding gardens. There is a wide array of colourful flower gardens and potted plants in every yard.

It is a clean village that is maintained by the locals, since they do not come under any Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC).

Most of the elders have since passed away, and the new generation has inherited properties and farmlands left behind by their parents and fore-parents, who were the early settlers.

According to residents, Unity Village was an estate of sugar cane cultivation that was controlled by the Dutch.

It is also a village that goes deep into the farmland section, where there are many dwelling houses overlooking the farms.

Unity Village has many small tracks and alleyways leading to houses, and it is a nice village of good people.

Some people have their own vehicles and those who don’t would utilise public transportation via minibuses or hire cars.

Unity Village, East Bank Essequibo, is located six miles from Parika Junction.

The locals depend on farming for their livelihoods, and within recent times, they have been hard hit by rainfall which caused massive flooding in the farmlands and at their homes.

Many farmers expressed the need for a Farmers Market to sell their produce, since the wholesale buyers would often pay below the asking price and re-sell for a lot more.

They are of the opinion that a Farmers Market will both benefit the farmers and consumers.