Mark Bushell

Mark Bushell considers it a privilege to be a farmer. He was recently able to gain access to the two-acre plot of land his grandmother once farmed and now he is using it to carve out his own space in the farming industry.

Mark’s journey into farming initially began through collaboration with a friend. The two purchased a pig together and were eventually able to expand and start raising other livestock. In early 2020, Mark branched out on his own and now grows cantaloupes and two varieties of watermelon on his farm.

Although Mark loves what he does, he admits that there are challenges. For example, his farm does not have access to running water. As a result, he estimates that he spends at least five hours each day transporting water to his farm from a nearby spring to wet his crops. He makes the trip several times a day to fill the drums that he uses to hold the water. Though faced with a tedious and tiring task, Mark perseveres and is looking forward to the day when he reaps his first batch of melons and secures the funds to install an irrigation system.

In addition to installing the irrigation system, Mark has several ideas to improve his farm. He plans to use the rest of the land he is allotted to grow sweet potatoes and plant larger plots of watermelons and cantaloupes. He also hopes to negotiate contracts with local supermarkets to supply them with produce on a continuous basis.