The Tribune

WHEN it comes to choosing a career, children often follow in their parents’ footsteps. Whether it is the lucrative nature of the craft or the passion displayed by mom and dad, the little ones see what drives their parents and yearn to experience the same. Such was the case for Marina Newton…eventually.

Currently a second-year agriculture student at the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI), Mrs Newton is also a full-time commercial farmer.

Her connection to the land began when she was a child and her father worked as a citrus farmer in Andros. She grew up understanding the nature of the work and was comfortable negotiating the land to produce a rich harvest. As a child, her mother also engaged in farming on a small scale.

“My mum did a lot of subsistence farming, basic field crops like peas, potatoes and cassava. She grew vegetables on a small scale, just enough for the family. In those days we had limited access to traditional food stores,” Mrs Newton said.

Her foray into agriculture on a large scale would, however, not begin until many years later.

“I grew up having my own garden. Now being an adult I could transfer it over to bring in an income for me. My first crop (as commercial enterprise) was goat pepper,” she said.

According to Mrs Newton, she never actually wanted to be a farmer. In school she wanted to be a teacher or a nurse, especially since her mother would often tell her that she named her after a nurse.

“I really wanted to be a teacher growing up, and when I got to high school I wanted to be a secretary, so I took up studies in office clerical work, but I always had a farm going on. My weekends were devoted to being on the farm and growing food that would both feed and sustain the family,” she said.

She found herself in the situation were she felt an attachment to the land, yet had to look for economic support in other sectors – a situation many find themselves in on Andros and other Family Islands.

Mrs Newton set out to tackle the corporate world, eager to gain an experience beyond the farm and to put her training to use, but it proved to be a mismatch.

She quickly found that the money she could earn in agriculture, as well as her ability to manage her own time, could not be matched by anything the corporate sector had to offer, so she turned to what she knew well and began a career that has so far spanned more than 20 years.

“Farming has been really good to me. I’ve been able to build my home, send my children to college. I’ve purchased vehicles off farming, been able to take my kids to Disney World off farming, and take my break over the summer and go fishing,” she said.

From the corporate world to the farm and now back to the classroom, Mrs Newton is preparing to turn another page in her story as she looks to graduate from BAMSI this summer after successfully completing an Associate’s degree in agriculture.

And what of her time at BAMSI?

Like many of the mature students who already have practical experience, some working their own farms, Mrs Newton came to BAMSI to enhance her agriculture skills and to understand the science behind some of the techniques and traditions that she was using. BAMSI also introduced her to techniques that she has never been exposed to.

“Coming here has broadened my horizons on how many other aspects of farming I can incorporate on my farm, such as livestock. I now see the importance of combining both livestock and crops – the crops can feed the animals and the animal manure or fertilizer can be used on the crops – that’s one of the things I want to do after I leave BAMSI,” she said.

Her studies in soil science have also proven to be beneficial.

“(Soil science) is the foundation for everything that I’m doing. If the soil is in the right condition everything else falls into place. This was something new for me. I came here with little knowledge of science and it’s really been an eye-opener. Something else that I learned was crop rotation or the science behind it. This was a technique that I had already implemented on the farm, but I never knew the scientific reason behind it or the terminology behind it. Now I can speak to what I am doing and also communicate clearly what is happening on the farm,” she said.

“Another example is with the legumes, the old people would say legumes) build up the ground, and now I’ve learned the science behind it. Legumes attract nitrates from the air and convert them into usable nitrogen which enriches the soil. So if you’re working with a new plot but the soil is not as rich as you would like it to be, you can plant legumes as cover crops for two or three years while also planting vegetables like tomatoes, and get better results”.

For Bahamian women considering the agriculture industry as an career option, Mrs Newton had this to say: “Don’t start today and expect to have a mega impact on the industry overnight. There are a lot of pitfalls and a lot of lessons to learn. It’s best to take it in small intervals; don’t think you can start a tomato farm today and tomorrow go international. It’s best to start a half acre crop, something that is easily grown, economically feasible, one that does not call for too much attention – cucumbers are a six-week crop, peppers also, so provided you don’t get your expected forecast, your loss won’t be so big.”

Mrs Newton also encourages newcomers to the industry to do their research and talk to persons who have “walked the road before.”

“It can be discouraging if you don’t do your homework; the loss can be great if you just plunge in,” she said.

Despite the potential for loss, however, Mrs Newton continues to champion an industry that has supported her and her family for many years. It was agriculture that allowed her to stay at home while she raised her children.

“I was able to do my farming at a certain time in the morning, come back home, prepare lunch and dinner. I was able to manage my time. If you want to manage your own time, if you want extra funds, agriculture is a good field to get into,” she said.