WORKING right where you live is considered convenient and not having to report to any boss is the perfect way of life for most Cromarty, Corentyne, Berbice residents because they are all farmers.

The way of life of the people of this rural village revolves around farming and they work long hours on their farm to cultivate crops despite many challenges to sell their produce to bring in an income to the home and their families.

Patrick Jaundoo is a farmer, who has lived all his life in Cromarty Village and today he works from home, he has utilised the space on his plot to plant cash crops.

He plants two main crops of peppers and tomatoes but has other crops but not on a large scale and he has seasonal buyers for his produce so going to sell at the market is out of the question.

The father of two enjoys his leisure time with his two grandchildren and he would assist in taking care of them during daylight hours when he is not working on the farm.

Jaundoo has a nice, well-kept home and surroundings and everything is in its place and he is also a lover of all flowers and plants which are in his yard.

The farmer has a double plot and it is ideal for his farm and even has a space for his fireside and other outdoor things he would use that is within reach.

“I born into farming, my parents were farmers and before that my grandparents farmed too so here I am doing my bit to keep the family tradition alive by being a humble farmer to safeguard our food security locally,” he said.

Sharon Mohan, the stay-at-home mother
Sharon Mohan is also a resident of Cromarty Village, Corentyne, Berbice. She is a housewife and mother of three children and is occupied with tending to her grandchildren these days.

The 50-year-old told the Pepperpot Magazine that she is renting since they do not have their own house and things get a bit hard at times due to the increase in cost of living.

Mohan added that her husband is the sole breadwinner of the home and in the rainy season he would be unable to farm and access the crops due to flooding and the mud dam becomes inaccessible.

“Right now the prices for all the things for farming is sky-high and it is a burden for us so we cannot plant on a large scale like before and we are not cultivating at this time,” she said.

Mohan prefers to stay within her home space and she doesn’t venture out until it is quite necessary and would be at home doing many things to pass the time.

Bijai Dolly Gopaul, the village elder
At 73 years old, Bijai Dolly Gopaul has a lot to be thankful for living in her golden years. She is still mourning the loss of her husband but is surrounded by her children and grandchildren.

Following the passing of her husband, Gopaul has never been the same. She is traumatised by the incidents leading to the death of her spouse, whose medical condition deteriorated rapidly.

Whenever she spoke of her husband, she would be reduced to tears since it was a painful time she had to face.

Gopaul told the Pepperpot Magazine that her late husband died three months ago, and her daughter resides with her while her son lives next door, and they are taking care of his son.

She is originally from Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara and relocated to Cromarty many years ago when her in-laws migrated and they came to live in their house.

Gopaul added that she lived in Pomeroon for more than 20 years and they were farmers.

It was when her son was nine and her daughter was six years old that they moved to Cromarty to reside since her husband’s parents left for overseas and the house was empty.

The elderly woman reported that although her husband worked at many places and had made enough contributions to NIS, he did not qualify for a pension and was only getting old age pension afforded by the administration.

These days, Gopaul is taking things easy. She would use her walking stick and go outside to sit and enjoy the breeze. It was at this time the team caught up with her.

She has a lovely garden of flowers, plants and trees and the yard is well-kept and very tidy.