AT 32, farmer Semion Hill has already taken several paths in search of a livelihood. He has worked in the hotel industry, learned the trade of greenhouse farming, sold produce at the market, and taken on work as a handyman with the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA).

Still, farming has always been the thread running through it all.

Raised in Pleasant Hill, Portland, Hill grew up in a farming family. His father was a farmer, and his brothers followed the same path. As the middle of five children, he remembers a close-knit household.

“We were like a real family, helping to raise each other,” he recalls. “The younger ones had the older ones to look out for us, and the older ones had us to look out for them.”

Agriculture became part of Hill’s life early. He participated in farming activities at Fellowship Primary and Junior High School and was expected to continue his education at the Sydney Pagon Agricultural High School in St Elizabeth (now called The Sydney Pagon STEM Academy). However, the distance and financial demands made that difficult for his family.

“Everything was for a good reason,” he said. “I had to switch gears but I learned a lot from my cousin after that.”

That cousin, Donovan McDonald, became an important influence. Hill went to work with him in St Ann, gaining practical experience with D&D Herb Traders and learning greenhouse farming. There, he learned to grow and package herbs and leafy vegetables including parsley, kale, spinach, celery, spearmint, tarragon, fennel and dill.

When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted employment and business, Hill began selling his own produce at the market. The experience gave him a better understanding of both production and the demands of finding customers.

He later spent about three years working in housekeeping at the Sandals Resorts, a calculated move he had hoped would reap rewards.

“One of my cousin’s wives told me that they used a lot of parsley,” he said. “I wanted the inside knowledge about how to reach that market and build connections.”

Eventually, Hill left the hotel and returned to Portland to be closer to his farm.

Coming home, however, brought a challenge he had not been able to solve: water.

“Everybody knows Portland as a water parish, but the water is down in the valley, in the rivers and springs,” he explained. “We have the water, but no access.”

During the recent dry period the soil became so parched that cracks opened several inches into the ground, damaging crops for many and leaving them with significant losses.

The Desnoes & Geddes Foundation of Red Stripe responded with a practical intervention, distributing 300 repurposed water drums to 75 farmers to improve water storage and strengthen agricultural production.

Hill received four drums. He repurposed them for water storage and created a makeshift pressure system that allows him to move water through pipes across his farm.

“The water still can’t make it all the way up the hill but it goes a long way,” he said. “It allows me to plant more.”

He added: “Having the drums makes things 10 times easier, especially wid how far some farmers have to travel. Not even cars can go up there. Some have to walk for all an hour to reach farms that are far from the main road.”

Hill believes better water systems could significantly improve production. He hopes more farmers can invest in drip irrigation and rainwater harvesting, particularly in a parish where heavy rainfall can quickly run off without adequate storage.

Farming is still a work in progress. He wants to expand his knowledge, explore methods such as hydroponics, and eventually reach larger markets, including export opportunities.

For now, however, Hill remains focused on what he can build with what he has.

His is a story of using every job, setback and opportunity to understand the business he ultimately wants to pursue. The goal is simple: “Keep learning, keep growing and find better ways to make the land work.”