The pictures in last Thursday’s issue of the DAILY NATION of ripe breadfruit growing on the side of the Adams-Barrow-Cummins Highway brought me great satisfaction, as I recalled a suggestion I made almost seven years ago when I wrote a column in the SUNDAY SUN (October 2, 2011).
I wrote: “I would attack the runaway weeds and bush along the Adams-Barrow-Cummins Highway, the Ronald Mapp Highway and the open lots around Barbados. I would employ thousands of young men and women to work all year round weeding and cutting down bush from open lots and roadways.
“As soon as the debushers cleared a space, they would plant a variety of seeds – cucumber, tomato, cauliflower, marjoram, water melon, cherry, squash, pepper, and let them grow, and then keep the weeds under control. The crops at maturity would be available to all.
“People could pull up at the roadside and pick a pumpkin and a pint of peas. If cannabis can flourish, so can cabbage; and carrots are more nutritious than cow itch.”
I didn’t rule out the possibility that greed would quickly come to the fore. Some people would reap the crops and sell them.
I congratulate Barney Gibbs and the Future Centre Trust for that project of planting dwarf breadfruits along the ABC Highway. It’s a creative way to grow more food.
Even though Gibbs seems to be encouraging people not only to pick the fruit for themselves, but to sell them if they wish, I hope that Barbadians will forego the urge to profit from this excellent gesture at the expense of their fellow citizens.
– CARL MOORE
