TRAINING in Hydroponic Vegetable Production which was done last Friday at the St. Stanislaus College Farm drew an overwhelming response from the general public and was notably successful, with some 125 persons attending the session. 

The Sustainable Livelihoods and Community Economic Growth through Hydroponic and Organic Vegetable Production and Marketing Project is funded by the Inter-American Development Bank and the Japanese Trust Fund which aims at promoting hydroponic farming in Guyana.
The event was open to members of the general public and those in attendance included farmers, kitchen garden operators and persons who have an interest in planting vegetables but lack the experience.

The approximately 125 attendees came as an overwhelming response since the organisers had catered for the 50 persons who had registered. Consequently, two sessions and demonstrations were conducted instead of one.

The training workshop attracted persons from in and around Georgetown and also from as far away as Regions 5, 6 and 10. They were from all walks of life and included teenagers and senior citizens. Most of the course participants had responded through an awareness programme aired on television the previous week.

Technical expertise for the hands-on training was provided by Field Extension staff, Mr. Ryan Nedd, Mr. Colwayne Morris and Mr. Mansaram Mahadeo. Discussions ranged from what is hydroponics; the use of soilless media for growing vegetables; the use and mixture of plant nutrients; and care and management of a hydroponic garden.

According to Project Manager, Kelvin Craig, “the project is going well so far and we are heartened by the overwhelming response of persons to adapt this new system.”
He pointed out that while there is still merit in the conventional system of planting in the ground, the effects of floods or heavy saturation for prolonged periods could result in no production taking place. Therefore, he said, this alternative method of hydroponic planting is a system that needs to be adapted.

CLIMATE CHANGE
The project manager stressed that this initiative is one of the government’s overall strategies to deal with issues relating to climate change. The Ministry of Agriculture is functioning as the overseer in this project to ensure its successful execution.

Meanwhile, Marketing Promotion and Public Awareness Assistant, Nicola Harris explained that they are happy that this project is having a positive impact on Guyanese. She said that they are happy that this new method is one which is highly appreciated considering the turnout at the workshops since the initial launch. She said, however, that hydroponic farming is nothing new to Guyana but it is only now that the awareness and sensitising is being highlighted in the Guyanese community. “We are happy to see this kind of response,” she reiterated.

Apart from this being a monthly activity and in addition to Hydroponic Vegetable Production, Partners offers courses in Natural/Organic Vegetable Production, Compost Production, Natural Pesticide Production, Integrated Pest Management and Shade House Management.

Hydroponic gardening is an alternative technology of growing plants without soil that can be done by anyone who is able and willing to learn how to manage a hydroponic system. Vegetable gardening through hydroponics is a healthy way of growing vegetables and culinary herbs for home use and for sale.

This project is funded by the Inter-American Development Bank and the general objective is to provide sustainable livelihood opportunities for low-income households in rural and coastal communities in Guyana by engaging small scale producers in hydroponic and natural/organic cultivation of vegetables for domestic and export markets. The project is being implemented by Partners of the Americas and the Caribbean Self-Reliance International.

(By Ravin Singh)