Roadside farm in full bloom in Upper Goodwill

Section of shoulder of road on Rose Street under cultivation

One resident of Upper Goodwill, George Bannis, a recovering rover, has turned a large track of a sidewalk in that community into a veritable fruit and vegetable garden.

Bannis’s roadside farm occupies the shoulder of a section of Rose Street between Franklyn and Francis lanes. One end seats directly in front the home of Herbert Sabroache, former Minister of Health in the Labour/Freedom party coalition government and current Deputy Political Leader of the Dominica Freedom Party. Spanning almost the entire bloc and two houses, a variety of crops including bananas, pumpkins, sweet corn, tomatoes, string beans and seasoning peppers are being grown. Cultivated on a raised bed, the plot is cordoned off by rocks lining the edge of the street.

Although the plot does not appear to obstruct the flow of vehicular traffic or view of motorists, it represents a potential hazard particularly to pedestrians. Taking up the entire sidewalk, the plot makes it near impossible for commuters to escape a runaway vehicle for at least 100 feet. And any unchecked overgrowth of this garden is bound to affect motorists in one way or the other. There is every indication up to this point however that this roadside farm is being properly managed.

It was not immediately clear whether the Roseau City Council or local government authorities were aware of the situation, but residents of the upscale community are fully accommodating of the practice. Speaking on conditions of anonymity, one neighbor confided “we are aware of the potential danger hugging the sidewalk like that but we have agreed to go along with it in an effort to help him recover.”

Bannis, who had opted for a life of seclusion in the heights of Dominica following his return from study in Cuba in the 80s and later itinerant sales of fresh produce around the city streets draped in a white sheet around his waist, seem at some point to have ‘lost his way’. He is slowly being reintegrated into society and residents are a little wary that any move to dispossess him of his ‘farm’ may jeopardize his recovery. They are hoping that once he has fully recovered and reintegrated he will voluntarily surrender his roadside farm.

Several attempts to reach Bannis for comments were unsuccessful.