Challenges, Scenes and People's Socio-politital Experiences

By Paul Andrew Bourne


Contextual background and demographic profile

The district of Bybrook is unique in that on two (2) occasions it was devasted by flood rains. In 1940, the community of Bybrook had its first natural disaster. The 1940 flood brought with it approximately seven (700) hundred human lives, cattle, other livestock, and dwellings. Prior to the rains, the human population stood at an estimated one thousand (1,000). After the disaster, the Jamaican government declared the area a natural disaster prone locale. Hence, the community was later declared as a non-human inhabitable locality. For years, no human life form existed in the region; as the people who resided there before the flood were relocated to other near by districts. "Was the 1940 flooding to be the last?" Again, in 2001, the flood struck the same place, this time with a degree of viciousness like the plagues on Pharaoh's palace. The flood rains disjoin various segments of the community; graves were uprooted, a large number of private dwellings were covered by earth, and a church was rend in two (2) halves with one in the water and the other left to tell the tale.

Prior to the 2001 flood rains, the district of Bybrook had a minimum of one-thousand (1,000) inhabitants. It appears strange that psychological balanced people, after the 1940 pandemic, would contemplate living in this district but was the case. Despite the absurdity of the decision to relocate to Bybrook, the 2001 flood brought with it a number of lives, roadways, vegetation, top soil and property. Those were not the only catastrophe as the river widens it banks and brought with it a significant segment of the community landmass. One residents argues that a substantial number of the native residents have migrated to Saint Mary and other parishes. To day, the community's total population is some seven-hundred and fifty (50) people. What are the reasons for the non-migrants stance in continuing to reside in this locality?

The community of Bybrook appears to have its name from either of two (2) sources, one from residents catching water at a brook and two, the name of a property owner who holds the entire farmland in the district. Despite the uncertainty of the district name acquisition, the community is 60 miles east of Kingston, some 20 miles westerly of Port Antonio and at least 10 miles easterly of Buff Bay, Portland. The district is in a rift surrounding by the Blue Mountain range. The community's view captures the imagination of the blind; transform the spirit of the depressed, challenge the intellect of the witty, awake the artistry of Picasso and inspire the penmanship of the likes of Shakespeare and lastly captures the mind of its visitor.




Demographic profile


According to the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN, 2001), the sex ratio for the parish of Portland was 99.2 males for every 100 females. However, according a resident who lives in the district of Bybrook for over fifty (50) years, and confirmed by other elderly residents, the district in 2005 has a sex ratio of 42 males for every 100 females. Firstly, this clearly indicates that the locality of Bybrook has substantially more females than actual males. Secondly, the number of men in Bybrook is approximately fifty (50) percent less those in the entire parish of Portland. This situation speaks to the either an epidemic that is faced by males in the district or mass migration. Based on STATIN Report (2003), the parish of Portland has two-hundred and forty-nine (249) more female than males (that is, 0.6 percent), and the district's sex composition is not atypical. The irony between the residents' report and that of STATIN is the vast difference between the parish sex composition and that of the community of Bybrook.

All the residents agree that the migration rate is extremely high in the district but hasten to add that this is mainly a female phenomenon. This is not atypical as the parish's internal migration rate is negative twenty and seventy tenth of a percent (authors' manipulation from STATIN 2003 publication - Demographic Statistics 2003). Hence, what is responsible for the exorbitantly more women than men in Bybrook?

According to STATIN Report 2003, the sex ratio is more in the age cohorts under fifteen (15), forty-five (45) through fifty-four (54) and fifty-five (55) to sixty-four years. This is a clear indication that deaths affect male substantially than females. In an interview session with the number of elderly residents, they say that mortality is relatively low in the area but a particular disease killed four (4) in the past six (6) month and another is sought cure from the same ailment. Prostate cancer is responsible for the death of four (4) long-standing farmers. All the individuals who died are elderly but the scar has gripped the whole community. Hence, the explanation of sex ratio may female at birth than males. If this fertility experience is true, it deviates from the pattern in Jamaica of approximately 106 males to every 100 females. So, what is the age-sex composition of the migrants?

The residents cite that brain drain is a crippling phenomenon in the district of Bybrook. In the district of Bybrook, it is the teachers, nurses and other professionals who leave in droves in comparison to a minute number of the unskilled residents. On the other hand, the in-migrants are few, and the level of skills and educational background are relatively low. The in-migrants are temporary males who are there to aid in the ticking process of coffee, and after this, they leave the community unless they become involved with female residents. Despite the possibility of male in-migrants, the natives of Bybrook know only five (5) such persons. Now the community has four (4) residents with tertiary level education. The four residents are all teachers with the highest level of qualification being a diploma in teacher education. Apart from those individuals with tertiary qualification, the natives are predominantly educated at the secondary level. None of the teachers in the district is a youth and so this speaks to the quality of the human stock of the community. The youth constitutes some fifty (50) percent of the population and child a further thirty (30) percent and this adds more burden on the labour force and equally on possible community development.

From our discussants, we know that a significant number of the youth are unemployment as they do not want to participate in the farming traditions of their parents but other options are rare. Hence, drop out rate at schools are high and active attendants are few. In the sole primary school in the district that can house some one-hundred and fifty (150) students, a teacher at the institution cites that the actual enrollment is approximately eighty-five (5) pupils. The district is void of a clinic, a post office or postal agency, and all other entities except those of shops and churches. Moreover, the irony of the unemployment woes is those institutions are not paid employment venture except for the sole shop proprietor.



Social


In Jamaica, domestic disputes are responsible for a significant number of violent acts and by extension murders. This issue is a complex one. Families continue to resolve inter-personal matters by physical confrontation instead of peaceful resolution. The reality is the each person does not take the time to understand interpersonal dynamics but believe that social issues are to resolve by an immediate act. The initial unsettled domestic disputes often times extend to the community and this matter escalade from family feud to community massacre. Many organizations have come about because of the high degree of domestic violence that various communities have experienced over the years. Despite the intervention, programmes that are, continuously extending a helpful hand to violent prone areas, domestic and community violence continue to spiral in Jamaica. The district of Bybrook, a community that is not on the map of Jamaica, is one of the rural communities with an atypical social structure.

Social graces are accounted for by way of the socialization process. Family structures have changed from the usual nuclear type to that of the increasing single type household and as such are resulting in a change in the formative years' approach of the socialization of children. This accounts for a substantial number of the deviant behaviours within society. Despite those realities, the socialization process of the Bybrook residents continues as were in past. Children do not interfere in the conversation of adults nor do are they in close proximity while their elders converse on different issues.

During a game of football on the street that was a distant from a group of adults conversing, the researchers were engage therein and the level of respect for us was extremely high and so was it among peers. The children and adults were highly gracious, courteous, generous and they display a magnetic spirit of kindness that was genuine. We happen to over heard a conversation among a group of young and middle-aged men who were bantering one young man, and the man responded "mi wah boast, mi bawn boasy". This is typical behaviour among the people. At each shop that we passed, there were many people congregating in discussion and this was in silence. Whenever we sought to converse with the various grouping, we were genuinely welcome and oftentimes the residents asked when will be our next visit. This question normal comes after hour in discussion with a group.

In an interview with a group of elders, when they asked how were conflict resolved they unanimously agreed without violence and at the community level and-or church level. The community has never experienced bloodshed and fights between individuals and-or groups of peoples. Each resident knows of the other whereabouts and willing to assist in find another.

The issue that normally fosters disagreement is people stealing from the farm of others because they say, "mi can pick any ting mi wan from any wey". Despite the serious nature of this behaviour, the residents cite that this is resolve through the owner of the stolen items airing his/her disagreement with the act. Notwithstanding the role of the churches in the healthy socialization of the people, community leadership is active and strong.

Many people argue that leadership is lacking throughout Jamaica but the district of Bybrook clearly indicates that this generalization is absurd, fallacious and is distant from the social reality. The people of this community have a number of stalwarts who are actively ensuring the social and economic development of the area. Decisions are taken at the community level, and if any decision is taken without the permission of the community leadership, residents hasten to make their disagreement known to the elder(s). The church leadership is an active component in community leadership, and so the people respect a decision when taken at the church level. On the other hand, on one occasion, a particular individual took a number of decisions independent of the leadership and after the community residents were cognizant of that reality, she offered her resignation to the executives of the community body.

The community-based organization (CBO) is primarily response for the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) sponsorship of the district's piped water project. This same group solicits help with the assistance of the parish co-coordinator funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) for a tractor and land husbandry training. The CBO's president cites that despite the residents low level of educational attainment, they are continuously interfacing with other learnt individuals from other communities and institutions in an effort to aid the process of community development. Despite the averaged residents' degree of formal educational background, a number of them have traveled extensive to other countries and continent and so are knowledgeable of social development to which they seek for their districts. Despite the high levels of female migration, a number of males who have traveled to other countries have returned to aid in its development.

The residents of Bybrook believe that the sex structure has significantly more females than males but irony is the all the institutions are managed by men. Of the four (4) teachers employed to the only school in the district, the principal is a male. In respect to the churches, the leadership is male and so is the CBO. The women on the other hand see this as the natural role of the males and are not made to feel inferior but at placed in active and key role in all the grouping. The males consult the females frequently for advice and information before decisions are taken and information are released. Therefore, does politics create conflicts in the lives of the residents?

Political Composition

The political landscape of Jamaica changed in the 1970s and it was further redefined in the 1980s, when many people either migrated to other countries because of the believed ideological change or the mass killings owing to political ideology of the day. This gruesome situation gradually crept in the psyche of the averaged Jamaica so much so that people were reserved in sharing political thoughts. Deaths were not limited to Kingston Metropolitan Region (KMR) but expanded to many rural communities across the country. After which many people conceived politics as corrupt and the conceptualization of the people say them killing each other under the caption of political tribalism.

Political leadership was not there to cease this perspective and transform the new mind set. Many rural and deep rural communities were not infiltrated as the KMR but sometimes the experiences were dreaded as those in KMR. The residents of the district of Bybrook in West Portland are overwhelmingly supporters of the People's National Party (PNP). The people are cognizant of each other's political affiliation and this does not create conflict. In an interview with a group of adults, they cited family (primary agent of socialization) as the primary reason for the non-confrontational stance of the people.


Family structure


Macionis and Plummer (2003) argue that the family is the primary agent of socialization in the life of a child. These distinguished sociologists forward a perspective that the child is modeled into a human being by the parent(s), and so this agent formalized the child into accepting the institutions of society. With Macionis and Plummer viewpoint, we now understand the foundation upon which Bybrook residents' social behaviour is atypical from that of their KMR's counterparts.

The family structure is predominantly nuclear (perceived approximately 40 percent), followed by common-law (believed is 30 percent), and so both parents unlike many families in KMR socialize their children. Because the community is a farming district, the females are at home nurturing the children through the various stages of development unlike in other areas where the children are grown either by themselves or by nannies. The nurturing role that mothers play in addition to the continuous presence of the fathers helps in the socialization process. Overall, the culture of the resident is fashioned by the strong family structure and religiosity. The children are imitators and so they fashion their lives from what they observed in their homes, and the general practice of families around them and the sub-group in which they happen to fall. An elderly female cites that less than ten (10) percent of the family types are grandparents and approximately ten (10) percent visiting. With the closeness of the community members, who and how the project was conceptualized?

Project Choice

The community of Bybrook massively suffers from soil erosion owing to flooding and heavy rains, and seasonal employment because of the type of farming carried out by the general farmers. Again, the district is within the rift of Blue Mountain range and as such is prone to flooding. Whenever it rains heavily because of the soil typology that is primarily clay, there is extensive soil erosion from the mountainside that flow down the hillside onto farmlands, private dwellings and other properties. Because the residents are continuously replacing loss possession and properties, this expunges valuable resources from expending on further social development. Those situations are abundantly depressing social progress, and so the people face lingering poverty.

The people of Bybrook were expressing their desire for assistance in land training to grapple with the soil erosion in addition to other assistance when the parish coordinator of Portland guided them into the helpful hand of CIDA. One resident who is a member of the CBO cites that the publics of the district did not envision a possible help from external source as politicians promised them many times. To date, they are still awaiting for road repairs and other promises expounded on by the politician in his last visit. Therefore, when CIDA purchased the tractor, this was an unimaginable dream that was materialized. First, the land husbandry training was in the Bybrook district and attended by neighbouring residents from Chepstowe and Belvedere, and this brought needed assistance from learnt sources to the community. The residents became active and a new sense of pride arose within them. When we visited the district, an elder farmer boasted on the land husbandry project. He showed us the well-designed trench, and they protected the land from massive landslide. Other residents cite that this is still practice some three (3) after as they benefits are real. When the second phase of the programme was for Belvedere, the farmers were in their full compliment.

Some people argue that ?'man' is by nature a thief but on our visit to Bybrook, we passed the tractor in an open area. Therefore, we sought to comprehend its meaning. The people agreed that benefit was their and this means that they must protect their investment. The tractor transports the coffee of all the farmers from the hilly terrains in the distant of the Blue Mountain to the coffee house and this it does without bias. The children and youth also understand the importance of the tractor. They recognize that this equipment makes life easier for their parents, and by extension provides the family with an economic livelihood. Despite the general believed consensus that benefits spread over the entire community, the direct beneficiaries are the elderly who are predominantly the farmers. This group is primarily males of lower education, and the latter is a typical experience of the all sex and age composition of the population.


Economic livelihood


Survival is a mechanism that encourages creativity and self-reliance. The people of Bybrook thoroughly understand this phenomenon and so they farm for a living despite the poor road network and the dangerous terrain of work. More than ninety (90) percent of the people are coffee farmers. Coffee farming is a seasonal crop. Therefore, this crop comes in every July to August of each year and so during the other months, the people rely on saving and other monocrops such as citrus.

Life is "sweet" for the averaged residents whenever it is coffee time as their night comes alive and social and community development are possible. Because the averaged family size is relatively large, the money the people receive expends in a short time. This leaves the residents in similar position year after year.

The monocrops are also seasonal, they are harvested just before the coffee crop, and so this does not change their economic position. Although the district legally is not in existence based on its 1940 classification by the government, funding institutions such as Jamaica, Social Investment Fund (JSIF) project of piped water in the community provides needed employment for young and middle aged males. This is another timely source of income for men. This does not decrease from the seasonal employment that arises due to pre-coffee season, when the both sexes are employed in pre-preparation process.

From our discussions with the residents, the discussants cite that the unemployment rate is seventy (70) percent. This perception is inflated, as some ninety (90) percent of the residents are income earning coffee farmers. Despite the issue that this is seasonal crop, the planters receive an income there from. One resident reports that remittance is a critical component for many locals. Another resident argues that some thirty (30) percent of the coffee planters still owe loans on their crop, and this situation continues to burden the life of the residents. The individual points out that after the 2001 flood and the devastation of the coffee farms, the planters are still forced to repay loans without an income from the coffee. Furthermore, the paid insurance is not forthcoming and there is no rescheduling of loans. The interest on the loans continue to accumulate during the period of resuscitation of the coffee plants, and when for the first time the coffee was harvested the loan source kept the proceeds from the coffee board. Those situations were sometimes lessened, when the farmers met with the lender and broker an agreement on a payment schedule. After which payment was released to the farmers.


Sustainability of the project


The people of Bybrook recognize the invaluable contribution and significance of the tractor in enhancing their economic livelihood and by extension social development, hence they are project' survivability is high. The tractor is the extension of the coffee farmers' arms, shoulders, legs and heads. This equipment enhances the farmers in the harvesting of the crop, reducing the physical efforts of the planters in collating the harvest. In addition, the tractor reduces the physical efforts that the farmers and thereby allow them to cover more activities than before its availability. Since the district is predominantly of coffee planters, the residents welcome the equipment and see its survivability as their survivability.

Overall, the willingness of the residents to guard the tractor having recognized its value to their existence, they will continue to success this equipment as it aids the effectiveness in the execution of their tasks. Within this construct, the tractor and the land husbandry training are vital techniques for the continuance of the farming practices of the residents and hence with quality leadership void of individualism will be with the farmers as that extension to the coffee trees.

Despite quality of the human resource skills of the residents with training in managerial ?'best' practices, financial management and public relations, the leadership of the residents will be stronger and by extension enhance the continuance of the project. The people require adequate training in project management as a tool that to effectively harness the intended objectives of the project without which they will grapple with simple obstacles instead of forging ahead with the actual programme.