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The name "Ital Farms" has become synonymous with community forestry in St. Lucia and its related issues such as agroforestry, reforestation, soil erosion control and the sustainable harvesting of forest products. It is an organization of well-informed farmers, spread out over different areas within the Pelouse Estate in Praslin, located on the East coast of St. Lucia. These farmers are of the rastafarian believe. Informed by their religion, they believe in the natural state of things, and therefore work closely with what nature provides. Hence the group practices organic farming, farming without the use of chemical fertilizers or artificial aids. It is also involved in agroforestry: the growing of fruit crops in and around the forest trees. Herbal medicines are planted also. Further, the farmers engage in the planting, and in some instances, the replanting of indigenous tree species in degraded areas, in order to mitigate against soil erosion. Trees are planted for fuel wood and timber. An important aspect is the education the group provides to other farmers on the importance of the forests and of organic farming. Moses Degonzague, who has been with the group from its beginning in the mid-1980s, explained that this was an early and necessary initiative. "The banana rush in 1984 hit all farmers around. They reacted by coming into the forests and cut down all the trees for establishing new banana plantations. Hundreds of acres were being destroyed. This made our crops suffer due to the sun coming in, the disappearance of wind breaks and an increase in forest fires. We then decided to set up an educational programme for them, focusing on the importance of the forests." Moses Degonzague manages the Millet farm, while his brother Eliud heads the entire operation. Eliud said that the group started forestry farming on its own: "There were just a few of us, about 2 or 3. We saw the need to go into that kind of farming and not be banana farmers like everybody else. We started with a roots farm and it grew from there." The group found out about a community forestry programme that the government had in place with the Aupicon farmers. Now, this programme also provides them with assistance, and Ital Farms has gone from strength to strength. The Ital Farms is a source of pride to its farmers, as well as to the institutions which have become associated with it. Today Ital Farms has started tree nurseries which they intend to share with other community groups for their own reforestation projects. The group has in all been able to replant some 4,000 trees at their different holdings. At Pelouse alone, some 2,000 trees have been replanted. It shows how justified the involvement of the rastafarian community in the management of Pelouse's forests has become. The group continues to expand its activities. At present, the farmers farm mainly for domestic purposes. They are now developing a secure market for the sale of their surplus products. Further nectar-producing trees in support of beekeeping are nurtured. And the controlled charcoal production will be restarted soon, upon the maturity of their forests. Notwithstanding the diversification, the main focus of the group will continue to be reforestation according to Eliud Degonzague, because after all: "Somebody has to do it." [556 words] In collaboration with the Caribbean Environmental Reporters Network (CERN), Panos produces a weekly 10-minutes radio series: "Island Beat - News from the environmental frontline of the Caribbean". It documents community environmental themes, in particular highlighting community experiences in finding solutions to environmental problems, reported by journalists from across the Caribbean region. This current print feature has been derived from a radio programme which was produced in July 1997.
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