Kemar the roadside farmer

If you travel along the Bernard Lodge main road in St Catherine, it is almost impossible not to notice Kemar Lewis' callaloo farm. The leafy succulent plants, which are being cultivated along the roadside, very often capture the attention of passers-by.

"When people a pass dem always a slow down and a tell mi say mi callaloo dem pretty enuh. Some a them stop and will buy a bundle or two and dem just always a motivate mi to continue and it make mi feel good yuh know," Lewis said.

A father of three, Lewis ventured into farming shortly he lost his job eight years ago.

"Mi did a work with the sugar estate and when the Chinese took over, mi get redundant. At that point in time mi never have any other alternative so when mi get the little pay up, mi end up buy little callaloo and pak choi seeds and start do mi ting," he said.

The demand for callaloo, Lewis said, is relatively strong. When THE STAR stopped by his plot last week, the farmer was watering the produce that he expects to begin reaping shortly. He said that he has not had any reasons to be concerned about thieves reaping his crop.

"Nobody naah trouble dem man, as much as how you see dem deh pon di roadside," Lewis said.

He continued: "People nuh really tief vegetable product pon a whole, unless a man directly a watch yuh and know when yuh spray. Nobody nuh want to eat it and dead. If a man a cut a bundle fi go cook, it nuh matter enuh, but a when dem cut out nuff mi would a have a problem."