A charity farm established during the COVID-19 pandemic to support seniors and vulnerable residents is now looking to secure funding and put a formal governance structure in place so that it can maintain its support to the community, organisers say.
The initiative, led by police officer Fabian O’Connor, widely known as ‘The Dancing Policeman’ and chaired by local accountant Chris Johnson, operates on an acre of land on Hirst Road under a long-term, peppercorn-rent lease from the Jackson family.
Over the years, Cayman Community Farm has grown into a valuable grassroots service project.
It now produces between 25 and 30 organic crops including tomatoes, scallions, okra, callaloo, cucumbers, lettuce, beetroot, scotch bonnet peppers, plantain, bananas, avocados, watermelons, green beans and even has a small chicken coop, rabbits and a tilapia pond.
The project is powered entirely without connection to the grid. Solar lights, a generator and a pressurised tank supply water. A small greenhouse on site is used for seedling propagation, supported by donations from the Garden Club and other community partners. Plant based pesticides and fertilisers and composting enable fully organic production.
Giving back to the community
In addition to producing food, the farm has become a charitable, social and learning space.
O’Connor regularly donates fresh vegetables to seniors, churches, community organisations and residents in Cayman Brac.
The farm also hosts school tours and educational visits and collaborates with Rotary each December, preparing hundreds of food boxes for seniors.
Yet despite its impact in the community, the farm is still almost entirely volunteer-run, insufficiently funded and without an active board, a structure now seen as essential.
O’Connor started the project in 2021 after realising that many seniors were unintentionally breaking COVID curfew rules simply because they did not know when “no movement days” were in effect and were leaving home to find food.
“Most of the seniors had analogue phones, so they didn’t know the schedule,” he said. “When I stopped them, the reason was always the same – they were hungry.”
He began cooking at 3am and delivering meals and vegetables grown in pots from his backyard.
Recognising the growing need, Barbara Jackson later offered O’Connor a piece of land, allowing the backyard project to expand into a full community farm in March 2021.
Seeking partnerships
While the land is offered at a symbolic rental cost, maintaining the operation still requires steady resources: irrigation pipes, soil and other inputs, tools, fuel for the generator, seed trays, composting materials and transportation.
“We’ve stretched it about as far as it can go,” said Johnson. “Without funding and a board to manage operations, expansion and accountability, the farm simply can’t sustain what it’s doing at this level.”
O’Connor adds that the initiative has become a symbol of what volunteer-led community care can look like, something he says Cayman cannot afford to lose. For him, the project is about more than agriculture – it is about preserving the values he believes define the community.
“Once you come to Cayman, everybody starts to reap from Cayman. But who is there feeding Cayman?” said O’Connor. “Who is there watering the roots? Who is there to mulch the soil to ensure that the trees stay blooming?”
In addition to financial support and board oversight, O’Connor said he is seeking partnerships to expand several new initiatives, including donations of cement for building stepping stones and installing plant boxes for elderly residents who want to grow vegetables at home.
Johnson stresses that while the farm is seeking additional support, those who continue to step up for the project every day are a symbol of the community-mindedness that once defined the Cayman Islands.
“I am grateful for the support of Mrs. Barbara Jackson, the hard-working Fabian and his partner Kadean, all of whom remind me of days gone by, when Cayman life was more neighborly,” he said.
Anyone interested in financially supporting the farm or contributing in any way is encouraged to contact Chris Johnson directly at [email protected].
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