- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 20/Jul 07:01

Amha’Selah’s love for farming, helping others

Amha'Selah Ayodele Olugbala never thought playing a farming simulation video game would eventually lead to him farming in real life. But that’s exactly what happened. He has now grown a range of crops including peppers, ochroes and kale, and has even used some of his profits to hop on board as a sponsor for local jazz singer Vaughnette Bigford’s upcoming event. The eight-year-old Siparia native is currently home-schooled by his mother Safiya, under the Mansa Musa Academy. He told Newsday Kids his favourite subjects are math and science. However, when he’s not in school, he enjoys swimming, sailing, playing the steelpan and video games. Expanding on his love for video games, he was excited to explain how his home garden began. “I used to play this game on my tablet called Farming Simulator. I would drive the tractors, go get the harvester, harvest my corn and then I would go sell it for money so I could get more equipment and more seeds. And then I heard about this GIY (Grow It Yourself) challenge and I was like, ‘Ooo, I would like to try that.’” In 2022, he also had his interest in farming piqued through WHYFARM’s Angri-Koolture Kidz Kamp. [caption id="attachment_1167528" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Amha'Selah Ayodele Olugbala turns the soil in a bed of plants at his Siparia home.[/caption] The kitchen garden competition was held annually by the Ministry of Sport and Youth Development for some years, and he participated last year. “We got the plant beds and then started planting pimentos, carrots, tomatoes, kale, purple cabbage, chives…” He also planted ochroes, beetroot, cucumbers bodi, ginger, patchoi and potatoes. In the end, he had 77 plants. He also has a sheep named Ted that "helps provide manure." [caption id="attachment_1167531" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Amha'Selah Ayodele Olugbala and his mother Safiiya Olugbala bond over planting.[/caption] He sold crops to friends and family and he said the pimentos were the “best sellers." He was also required to create a YouTube channel and upload videos of him farming there. He named the channel Amha’Selah Grows. Admittedly, he had “no idea what to do” at first in the videos. “My mom told me to script my content and I did the scripts perfectly. I always wanted a YouTube channel.” [caption id="attachment_1167529" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Amha'Selah Ayodele Olugbala gets help from mother Safiiya Olugbala to plant vegetables at their home..[/caption] He added, “And then a lot of my friends and family wanted to be in my videos. My cousin asked me that as soon as he found out about my challenge. He said, ‘Bro, can I be in your videos?’” he said with a smile. In the videos, he explained to viewers what crops he had, and there’s even one where he showed how to attach a timer to a water supply for sprinklers. He won the best small kitchen garden, best youth kitchen garden and the people’s choice awards. “It was a lot of hard work but it was fun.” When he learnt he won, he recalled, “I was like, ‘Yes! Finally, I got a prize! Yay!’ Since the competition was based on social media likes, he recalled being disappointed when the number was low. But it took a simple share from Bigford to help him rise to the top. It went viral after her repost. And now a year later, he is paying that simple act of kindness forward. [caption id="attachment_1167530" align="alignnone" width="683"] Amha'Selah Ayodele Olugbala is proud of the awards he's won for farming.[/caption] He said he knew of Bigford because of his grandmother Grace Gloud, who “is the biggest fan (of Bigford) you would ever find. She loves her. She goes to every single show.” So when he learnt of her show Umoja, set for August 2 at the Naparima Bowl in San Fernando, he felt it was “a really good opportunity to give back. “I really like helping people.” He is now one of the show’s official sponsors and he said he looks forward to meeting her in person. As for his own future plans, he said he hopes to be a farmer even in adulthood.   The post Amha’Selah’s love for farming, helping others appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.