“AS our climate changes, our weather patterns are becoming unpredictable. This variability in climate can result in significant damages and loss that affect all sectors in Guyana, including the agriculture sector” said Jairo Valverde, Resident Representative, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Guyana.

These brief remarks were made at the opening ceremony for the disbursal of grants held at the Bina Hill Institute, Annai, Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo (Region 9). The UNDP, with funding from the Government of Japan, disbursed grants to six villages in the North Rupununi, Region 9, through the project “Strengthening Disaster Management Capacity of Women in the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and the Commonwealth of Dominica.”
In a release, the UNDP said through this project, farmers have already benefited from training in the Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA) tool which allows them to use weather information to make better decisions regarding their agricultural practices. Building on the foundation provided by this training, with a strong emphasis on linking women farmers to finance, these grants are intended to support climate-smart practices which would contribute to the continuous supply of food for communities in the event of a disaster.

This first disbursement, which amounted to approximately $12M Guyana dollars, benefitted the villages of Apoteri, Surama, Aranaputa, Wowetta, Rupertee, and Annai in initiatives as diverse as peanut farming, poultry rearing and cassava processing.

“Our poultry project is the first of its kind in the village of Annai. We will use the profits to financially support our farmers to do things that will help them enhance their livelihoods and contribute to food security” said Mike Williams, Senior Councillor, Annai Village Council.
In addition to Region 9, the grants component of the project encompasses Mahaica-Berbice (Region 5), East Berbice-Corentyne (Region 6), Cuyuni-Mazaruni (Region 7), and Potaro-Siparuni (Region 8). Grants will be disbursed on a competitive basis, targeting legally registered groups and village councils involved in agricultural activities located in areas vulnerable to natural hazards. UNDP is committed to strengthening community resilience and disaster preparedness and wishes all the grant recipients every success for the implementation of their respective projects.

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