RESEARCHING different technologies and refining them and developing them has been essentially the role of the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI), but with major changes in the sector, its role has been expanded as it seeks to advance the agriculture sector through a modern and scientific approach.
In an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Director of NARI, Dr. Oudho Homenauth, said the institute’s role is now more crucial than ever, in light of the Agriculture Ministry’s move towards diversification.
According to him the agriculture sector is expected to see it exports being tripled and its contribution to the economy significantly increased.
“At this point in time NARI acquires appropriate technology, where it has been developed as far as possible, tests it locally and validates it as good. Those that are appropriate are transferred to the farming community to improve production and quality,” Homenauth said.
However, he maintained that NARI’s programmes are linked to current programmes, in line with national policies; in particular the Ministry of Agriculture’s Agriculture Diversification Programme (ADP); the Rural Enterprise on Agricultural Development and the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).
“Our activities must have an impact on these,” the NARI Director said.

ADP’s Advance

The ADP targets an increase in the export of non-traditional agricultural commodities and it seeks to establish services and institutions for a sustainable increase in the income derived from the export of non-traditional agricultural exports in the aquaculture, fruits and vegetables, and livestock sub-sectors such as beef, peppers, pumpkins, plantains and farm grown fish, particularly tilapia. It is being funded by the Inter-American Development Bank at cost of US$21.9M with counterpart funding from the Government of Guyana of US$1.1M. 
Under the ADP, Homenauth noted that NARI focuses on the 4P’s; pumpkins, peppers, plantains and pineapples.
“We are not limited to these, but the 4Ps are the priority areas. We are also looking at coconuts, spices and other commodities,” he said.
Relative to the advancement of the 4Ps, he said there has been massive infusion of funds to upgrade the facilities and personnel needed.
The NARI Director stated that the NARI building is being completely rehabilitated, a new library – Guyana’s only National Library for Agriculture – is being established and laboratory facilities are being developed.
“We completely renovated in some cases, in some modernized,” Homenauth said.
He explained that under the ADP there are specific targets that have been projected; in terms of what the current acreage is and what it should be in the next three to five years; and in terms of what the exports should be.“These projections are based on studies conducted prior to the programme implementation,” he said.
Homenauth stated that, in this context, NARI’s role is to ensure that these projections are realized.
This realisation, he said, starts with the acquisition of seed materials, which has already begun for peppers and other plants resistant to certain diseases are also being sourced.
“We do not know how they will perform, but that is the work we do. Once we get for example, the different varieties of peppers we will be able to start multiplication and we are not looking at anything that is genetically modified,” he said.
The NARI Director maintained that the benefits of NARI’s work are spread across the country.
“Our activities are not limited to the coast, for example, but throughout Guyana,” he said.
Homenauth pointed to the spices project, under the ADP, and said it has started in Region One (Barima/Waini) and is there predominantly, but has moved to Region Eight (Potaro/ Siparuni).
Homenauth noted too that adaptation to climate change has also been a key aspect of the institute’s work, to ensure that “wholesome produce is available on a year-round basis.”
The introduction of semi-greenhouses, shade houses and the use of hydroponics technologies are expected to assist in this regard.
“These are technologies that will be further expanded…if we are going to meet targets and meet market demands we have to have the necessary systems in place,” Homenauth.

Capacity Building

To ensure that these systems function effectively, the NARI Director, said personnel capacity is being developed.
Aside from training of in house staffers, he said NARI is sourcing skills in speacialised areas in bio-technology, among others.
“To develop the coconut industry, we have recently received the services on an Indian expert who will be here for a year or two. The coconut industry is an area that will be expanded based on the demand we are seeing,” Homenauth said.
He said for every person that is brought in there are one or two local persons with them to facilitate a transfer of skills.
“In the spice programme, for example, the specialist was here for two years and our man who was with him is now able to carry the project,” Homenauth said.
Value addition, he said also, is very important in each area of development, as well as reducing the cost for processing and packaging.
A major activity over the next two to three years, according to the NARI Director, is its role as the technical service providers for farmers’ groups and other stakeholders.
In this context, Homenauth said, “There is some amount of restructuring being done…our focus has been on crops and livestock, but with the creation of the Guyana Livestock Development Authority our focus will be on crops and crop related activities.”
In this context, he added that apart from research and development, NARI’s will be very much involved in providing services to the farmers.
“This is part of the extension services which will be incorporated into NARI, as well as plant health services,” Homenauth said.
The inclusion of extension services under NARI’s purview, he said, is a plus since the institute will be better able to serve the farmers.
“Most of what we do is done in conjunction with the farmers. We use the labs yes, but out work is not done in isolation. We include the farmers, as well as the private sector,” he said.

Approach

Relative to enhancing production, Homenauth said NARI is using a “commodity chain approach,” which addresses production and post harvest, as well as value addition.
“We would test of new varieties for the farmer and develop the agronomy for them,” he said.
Sourcing high yielding varieties, he said is a point of focus, in order to increase competitiveness and enhance performance on a large scale market, in a mechanized manner
“Our response is based on the market demands. We do not do things in a haphazard way, just because we feel like,” the NARI Director said.
Homenauth said the whole idea behind NARI’s efforts is to impact the livelihoods of farmers to enhance their activities, and consequently their financial rewards.
“Modernising the sector is the bottom line…the farmers will benefit from the technologies we develop to improve their profit margins and modernize their operations,” he said. 
Homenauth said, essentially, NARI does research, development and then takes it to the farmers – the grassroots people who need it and who fuel the development of the sector on a whole.

NARI

The research institute was established in 1985 and according to the NARI Act the functions of the Institute are:
•    To advise on, and develop, appropriate systems to promote balanced, diversified and sustained agricultural development and optimise agricultural production through adaptive and investigative research; and
•    To facilitate the use of improved production technology by, and establish adequate- feedback systems from, agricultural producers in order to achieve and maintain national self-sufficiency and export capacities in food and fibre.
The Act further added that for the purpose of carrying out its functions the Institute shall have power: to carry out applied agricultural research, including research into appropriate systems of mechanisation, to provide answers to current and foreseeable problems facing crop, livestock, forestry and fisheries production; to evaluate under local conditions scientific findings in other countries; to determine, develop and popularise mechanisms, programmes and activities by which the agricultural potential of Guyana may be realised; and  to collaborate closely with all other agencies and institutions engaged in agricultural and related research.
In carrying out its functions the Institute is guided by the National Science Policy formulated by the National Science Research Council so far as the Policy relates to agricultural research.