Jan. 20, 2008 — Though dark clouds and intermittent showers rolled over St. Thomas this weekend, hundreds of residents and visitors made their way to the west end of the island to sample the sights, sounds and famous ital dishes cooked up at the 11th annual Bordeaux Farmers Rastafari Agricultural and Cultural Food Fair.
As usual, the fairgrounds were dotted with white tents and colorful booths that showcased a variety of local wares, such as handmade brooms and festive candles, jewelry and clothing. Food booths at the front sold everything from sweet honeyed-lemonade to green banana and plantain salad, while vendors in the back stirred hearty soups in heavy clay pots, and other island fare.
At the heart of it all were gleaming stalls full of fruits and veggies produced by the members of the Bordeaux farmers collective We Grow Food Inc, whose tables boasted crisp green heads of lettuce, fire engine-red peppers and swollen watermelons that were a favorite amongst buyers.
"Everything you see here is a tribute to agriculture, which is still very much alive in this community, and the end product of years of hard work," said Alphonso Wade III, whose stall was laden with pastries made from ingredients that he has grown on his own north side farm. A fixture at the fair grounds for the past 10 years, Wade said he is grateful for the people the event continues to bring in every year. He added, however, that the same level of support should be coming from the local government, which could provide farmers with the funds needed to purchase more land and equipment.
"I think the need to support agriculture is starting to sink in more — we have a new commissioner of agriculture and there is more talk of creating the infrastructure needed to really make agriculture a full-fledged industry," he said.
"But the problem is that not every body has jumped on the boat. We not only need the governor, but the police commissioner, Office of Management and Budget director and the attorney general all focused on agriculture. That way, when the Legislature appropriates money, there's no delay in getting the funds to us."
Wade added that linking the tourism and agriculture industries could help grow the territory's economy.
"These islands have the ability to support themselves, and could become a major exporter of value-added products," he said. "A tourist can come here, sit down in a hotel and eat a bagel for breakfast. But imagine selling them a bagel with homegrown mango preserves or breadsticks that they can also purchase in bulk and take back home with them — that's what we should be working on."
In order for the territory to get to that point, however, equipment is needed to till St. Thomas' hilly terrain, making more land available for farmers to plant their crops, Wade said.
"Ninety-nine percent of this work is being done by hand," he explained. "Some of us have been doing this for 20 years, and it's taken us this long to get here. But if the community and the government really turn out and support agriculture, then we can make much more headway."
Despite the lack of funding, the Bordeaux farmers have been productive over the last 12-months, said Ras Cubu Delano-Francis, who received the collective's Farmer of the Year Award on Saturday. A past president of We Grow Food, Delano-Francis explained that in terms of infrastructure development, farmers have completed work on five of the six dams in the area and have expanded their irrigation system. We Grow Food has also formed a partnership with the Environmental Rangers, he added, and has started a youth program in which participants have grown and cultivated their own nursery near the fairgrounds.
"While agriculture isn't blossoming as quickly into the industry it should be, we are always making progress," Delano-Francis said. "When the community comes out and continues to support us like this, we know there's hope, there's people that believe in what we do."
For those who missed the weekend festivities, We Grow Food Inc. continues to hold a farmer's market at the Bordeaux tennis courts on the last Sunday of every month.
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