Middlesex Farmers’ 10-Year Fight for Road Access Hits Another Roadblock

Tonight, farmers in Middlesex say their harvest is stuck at the side of the road, literally. They’re accusing the government of neglect and unfair treatment after the Department of the Environment, under the Ministry of Sustainable Development, halted a community-built access road. Growers tell News Five they followed all the rules, culverts, drainage, even protecting natural springs, but the project was stopped anyway. Now, they warn that thousands of pounds of fresh produce could spoil, threatening food security and livelihoods at the peak of the holiday season. They built this road without a dollar of government funding, and they say it’s the only way to get crops out to market. News Five’s Britney Gordon has the following story.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

For more than ten years, farmers in Middlesex, Stann Creek have faced an uphill battle just to get their produce out of the village. Community chairperson Britany Roches says the problem comes down to poor road access, most of the surrounding land is owned by Silk Grass Farms, leaving growers with few options to move their crops. Three years ago, residents met with the Lands Department to open a road for farmers to travel, which was surveyed, approved and authenticated, costing residents five thousand dollars.  Community members then began work to make the newly opened Mae Johnson Road Extension accessible, but just when things were looking up, the residents received a stop order from the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing.

 

Britany Roches, Chairperson, Middlesex Village

“After that, we, spoke to the CEO of Ministry of Works, tried to explain our situation because they were accusing us of illegal logging. They were accusing us of entering private property and none of that was correct information. So we kept battling with MIDH over and over again. And then when we finally saw light, when we thought we were able to proceed and we had the machine back there doing the work for probably one day or so, we were met with another stop order.”

 

Roches claims that following the written stop order, the residents halted work on the road and contacted the Lands Department and MIDH for guidance. She explains that after laying out the situation once more, they were finally given the go-ahead, provided they stuck to all the required protocols. But not long after, workers were told the Department of the Environment would be carrying out an inspection behind the Silk Grass Farms property.

 

Britany Roches

“They said that we could continue with the road because it was a preexisting road from the time that they arrived there. So we weren’t just opening it and then after that they, they called and said that we cannot continue because the chief said no, chief environmental officer said no. And it was under discussion. And then they sent an email saying that they need to cross check with Lands Department to ensure that we are not encroaching into private property.  But our question is, what does environmental has have to do with private property?”

 

Work on the road came to a standstill while the Department of the Environment carried out its assessment. While that analysis is underway, Silk Grass Farms brought on environmental consultant, Percival Cho, to conduct a feasibility study. His findings show that the slope of the proposed road was between thirty-two and thirty-five degrees, which can be difficult to travel on when the road is wet.

 

Percival Cho, Consultant, Silk Grass Farms

“It’s very dangerous. So there’s an engineering reason why you don’t open roads on terrain, that steep from an environmental perspective, it creates a situation where these fragile soils, we call them very fragile or erodible soils. Are exposed to rain and weathering. And what happens with when it’s exposed is you get this wash down effect and it just eats into the road. And some of the photos I showed you showed deep cracks deep chasms open on the road itself where the water starts to dig it out. And, you could get mod slides because it’s very deep erodible soils. There’s not a lot of rock bedrock underneath it. It’s very deep, and you could get mudslides that could potentially also take down bits of forests.”

 

According to Roches, residents were informed that the government could instead pursue acquiring one of the roads on Silk Grass Farms property. However, Roches says that over thirty-six thousand dollars has already been invested in the Mae Johnson Road Extension.

 

Britany Roches

“It would be better if we fix the road we’re currently working on, so we wouldn’t have any problem with the company in the future. Yes, it is a flatter road. Yes, it is less hectic. Why invest in that and get the rich person richer when other people could use the other access. Because there, there are other farms that have titles and they cannot access the area and they wanna do development as well.”

 

Construction stopped about halfway up the slope, a move Cho considers fortunate. He points out that continuing the work could impact water reserves that nearby communities rely on.

 

Percival Cho

“What I saw when we went was already erosion occurring on the side of the road where the hill continues up, so you get a drain forming. And that was creating siltation, so wash down, coming down into the farms below. And so when you construct a road like that the, during the rainy season, this was September. We are in the height of the rainy season. It’s a really terrible idea.”

 

Villagers say they’re open to the government acquiring land from Silk Grass Farms, but according to Roches, that’s only part of the solution. She insists multiple roads must be opened so farmers on both sides of the village can move their produce. For now, growers are urging the government to step in with a plan that works for everyone. Britney Gordon for News Five.