Very few events bring much more joy to us than the moment when we finally see the beautiful climax of something we have spent months and years working hard to achieve. For a student, that moment comes in the form of graduation with friends and family gathering around to share in the completion of a life-transforming journey. For a couple, it is the adorning of a white dress and suit to receive the acclaim of people who have watched them transit from mere strangers into life-long partners. But for a farmer, it is the priceless sight of a once little seed which he devoted hours, days, and months to fully grow to become a crop ready to feed a thousand mouths.
In July 2018, 1 found myself in a Village in the central region, working as a volunteer for an NGO fighting against child trafficking. For a relatively urban young man like myself, one of the things I got to experience there for the first time was seeing farmers go out to their farms, in my initial days there, I always came out with an excuse when the invitation to join was extended to me. However, on one particular day, the smile and joy on their faces were so infectious that they did not even have to ask for me to join in.
It was the day of harvest and the rains which fell the previous night meant that their cassava tubers would be pulled out of the soil with much ease. The women readied baskets while the men cleaned their wheelbarrows amid singing and dancing. The ambiance was no different from that of a multi-national* festival • when in reality, it was a modes harvest going to be carried out by’ less than ‘a hundred persons.
Upon reaching the farm of she, pan who served as my host, we were* greeted to a muddy scene with all the Stems gratefully planted in the soil. One interesting thing I observed was that while I half-heartedly pulled out the tubers which offered little resistance, the farmer did not leave a stem until he had uprooted it. While it was barely leisure to me; it was his life.
Reflecting on that moment now makes me realise how surreal it was for that farmer. All the months of caring and nurturing had finally brought about something tangible in his reach and hence would not let anything prevent him from doing so. This is a usual stage in the harvest process that tends to stir us all up. The final days to the wedding where we want everything to go perfectly according to plan, the last exam in our way that we simply can’t wait to write, or the hours leading to the delivery of a long-awaited first child in a union. The adrenaline rush and butterflies that dance in our bellies during these periods are simply indescribable.
But amid all that joy and excitement harvest periods bring, we may find the joy which we have cut short if there is not a plan for what happens after the moment passes. For instance, a student without a plan for life after school may soon find his or her degree not so useful; a couple may run into crisis if they were not properly prepared for marriage; and similarly, a farmer may suffer huge post-harvest losses if he has no plan on how to store, transport and get his produce to consumers.
Hence, the harvest period should be given as much attention as all other stages of planting. A farmer has to know which kind of storage item or facility is suitable for each crop he plants, the right mode of transportation from the farm, his targeted population, and even how to efficiently harvest them. Doing all these is undoubtedly a herculean task on its own but it has to be done anyway for them to truly enjoy the fruits of their labour. That is because harvesting is the end of the planting cycle, it is actually the beginning of a farmer’s rewards. In truth, the after-effects of a harvest determine whether a farmer gets enough motivation and drive to plant for another season.
Therefore, just like the farmer, we all should treat the harvest seasons life brings our way with equal care as the journey which takes us there. Because although the harvest may come with priceless joy, the moments after may feed us with endless regrets. While we think about the moment, we also have to think about the after.
A bounteous harvest is the farmers greatest of pride.
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