There were praises from various St Ann farmers last Tuesday, who said they have been benefiting tremendously over the last six years from greenhouse farming.

Some 20 farmers have been engaged in traditional farming on mined out lands that were leased to them by Noranda Jamaica Bauxite in St Ann, which has been made possible through a project led by Noranda, the Alpart Community Council, Jamaica Bauxite Institute (JBI) and the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF).

Minister of Transport and Mining, Robert Montague said the bauxite mined out areas have been benefiting from greenhouse technology, which, in turn, has made life more pleasurable for the farmers.

Montague touted this as the perfect solution to ensuring greater yields for farmers.

“This is a part of the life after bauxite programme where we go into communities, partner with bauxite companies and bring the local farmers so that we turn what is a mined out pit into productivity,” he told reporters.

Montague said he is positive that the farmers a part of the programme can attest that this has been a successful programme.

“With the support of Noranda, they have been able to get a proper livelihood, they supply to the tourist industry, and they have made their living. They are very happy and they contribute to the economy of the country and this is showing you that after the bauxite is gone, the same land can become productive.

“What we are insisting on is that once the bauxite is mined, you put back the top soil. We are now encouraging the bauxite companies and Noranda has stepped out in front to plant something to help to bind the topsoil, especially on the hillside. What we have chosen is castor beans.”

Louise Lawrence plants in one of the greenhouses and backed up the minister’s claims. She told the Jamaica Observer that the greenhouse approach has been a good investment.

“This month makes six years to be exact. I plant sweet peppers, tomatoes, broccoli and cauliflower. You get a better crop from the greenhouse. Reason being that is free from insects. You don’t have a lot on insects coming so we have a good yield. We sell to Savanna-la-Mar Market. It is very challenging at times, but overall, it is good.

“Sometimes when the crop is down, and we don’t have enough to sell it to Savanna-la-Mar, we sell it to the local buyers. The higglers would buy from us and take it to the market to sell other persons. If I have children in university and if it wasn’t for this, I don’t know how I would manage at all.”

Another farmer, Jennifer Straw, said the greenhouses also prevent repeated occurences of praedial larceny.

“That doesn’t happen very regular. About three times people cut some of the houses… it is not regular. It doesn’t happen frequently, and the police patrol the area a lot.”

Christopher Lawrence was accustomed to farming the way he grew up and saw his father doing it. He told the Jamaica Observer that operating with the greenhouse was a shift.

“It was just a little adjustment to work with the greenhouse, because I have been a farmer from long time. I have been in farming for more than 65 years because I used to go with my father on his farm when I was little. But it was a good adjustment,” he said.

“Years ago, we never used any chemical spray. Anything we plant, we just use it just like that. But now things change, so we have to use different types of chemicals. I plant tomato, pepper, cauliflower and broccoli.”

Minister Montague explained that bauxite in the area is found about 18 to 24 inches down. And so, the topsoil is initially removed and then the bauxite is mined.

“When the bauxite is mined, you put back the topsoil. And then now, we have gone a step further to establish these clusters like a sorting shed, bathroom, storeroom and the bauxite company goes ahead and lines an area for natural water to collect. Then by solar pumping, you pump back into a fertigation system.”

Fertigation, the farmers explained, is a mixture of fertiliser and water.

Montague added: “This is a practical demonstration of life after bauxite. Noranda, however, is going to go a step further. They are going to be establishing a forestry nursery that will be able to produce some 200,000 plants.”

Therefore, he said they will be planting “forest trees” on lands that would have been mined, or lands that are excluded form mining but within the mining lease.

“That will also assist in our efforts in terms of treating with climate change, in terms of putting more green areas, in terms of being the lungs of the island. So, we want to commend Noranda for that major step in terms of pushing the environment, in terms of lowering our carbon footprint and in terms of being a sustainable mining company.

“What we are speaking to is sustainable mining. It’s not just coming to grab the mineral and leave the land. Jamaica is one of the leading countries in reclaiming bauxite lands. The JBI has volumes on how the techniques are done. Other countries have consulted with us in Jamaica as to how to treat with the process of reclaiming lands,” Montague said.