LAST week’s first agriculture research conference was a “fantastic” one, according to Agriculture Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, who noted that the three-day activity brought to the fore new technologies and findings that will benefit local sector stakeholders.

“It was a fantastic conference that brought new technologies and finishes to show that challenges we face here in Guyana can be tackled,” he said.
The inaugural agriculture research conference, now expected to be an annual feature, was held last Monday at the Guyana International Conference Centre (GICC) under the theme: ‘Consolidating Food and Nutrition Security in the Region – Increasing Economic Opportunities and Entrepreneurship for Rice and other agriculture’.
The Minster stated that a number of issues came out during the discussions on the many research papers presented during the conference. “A number of things came out from the conference,” he said.
The presentations made last week addressed several issues, including: The growth and development of the rice industry in Guyana; The status and prospects for Guyana’s non-traditional exports; Strategies for successful livestock rearing on man-made lowlands, under climate change threats; Extensions’ contribution to rice improvement in Guyana; Macro-propagation of plantain using the stem fragment technique; The role of Bio-available Nutrition (BAN) in sustainable organic agriculture; The role of research and technology in enhancing family farms in Guyana; The use of DSSAT to evaluate the potential effects of climate change on rice production in Guyana; and Antimicrobial activity in the sector, among many others.
“It was a good interaction between the stakeholders,” Dr. Ramsammy said.

RESEARCH AGENDA
Additionally, before the end of the year, the agriculture research conference, among other influences, will inform a national agriculture research agenda that will be made public before the end of the year.
Additionally, these efforts will bolster the goals included in the Agriculture Strategy 2013-2020 and are based on the F-5 Strategic Approach for Agriculture. The F-5 Strategic Approach is as follows:
* Food Security – Consolidating the End of Hunger in Guyana, ensuring everyone has enough food in every community;
* Fiber and Nutritious Food Accessible by citizens – Nutrition Security for All;
* Fuel Production – helping to develop alternative fuel sources, reducing dependency on fossil fuel and creating a Bio-Energy Industry in Guyana;
* Fashion and Health Products – An Agro-Processing Industry which creates a new industry in Guyana; and
* Furniture and Crafts – An industry which we expect to grow in importance in Guyana.
Guyana’s ‘Vision for Agriculture 2020’ seeks to change the view that agriculture is for subsistence living while it also seeks to promote agriculture as a wealth generator and entrepreneurial enterprise, producing food and non-food commodities to meet local and export demands.

(Vanessa Narine)