HUNDREDS of students from 21 secondary schools attended the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) Career Day yesterday. It was one of several activities planned for Agriculture Month 2010, which is being observed under the theme ‘Fighting Global Hunger through Agriculture Diversification in Guyana’.
Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud interacted with the students and fielded questions and listening to suggestions from them.
One of the latter was for agriculture to become a core subject in schools and another for farm hands to reduce the amount of “back breaking work” students have to do.
The second drew laughter from the crowd and Mr. Persaud responded that agriculture is essentially about food production in the fields and students can benefit much from the practical experience.
He said the field work would offer a broader perspective on what agricultural processes entail.
About making agriculture a core subject, like Mathematics and English, Persaud said the time has come for this to be addressed, not only because students are raising the issue but as Guyana is an agro-based country.
It being a policy issue, he said collaboration will be pursued with the Ministry of Education.
About individuals without complete secondary education wanting to get involved in the sector, Persaud said various areas of agriculture require different skill sets but persons seeking involvement should not see themselves as employees, but as employers, agriculture entrepreneurs.
He assured of the Ministry’s support and reminded that, during school term breaks, farmers are taken in for training at GSA.
One participant in the discourse touched on food security and, more particularly, global hunger in the face of global warming.
Persaud replied that global warming, for Guyana, is not an abstract thing but real and linked to global hunger.
He said the United Nations (UN) and member States are advancing efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), one of which targets the reduction of global hunger and poverty.

Achievement
Persaud boasted that Guyana has done this and attributed the achievement to the focus on adaptation to climate change effects.
In light of moves to pursue agricultural success, one student asked about the effects on the local flora and fauna and the Minister said they will not be affected, especially since there is approximately 300,000 acres of land on the coast that can be put to productive use, as well as another 4,000 in Rupununi and the intermediate savannahs.
He added that, on the coast, particularly, the soil is Grade A type and, with the necessary infrastructural work, Guyana will have no problems with availability of land for agriculture.
“This is what puts Guyana ahead of many countries,” Persaud contended.
According to him, the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) also indicates that Guyana can pursue its agro-economy without damage to its forests.
He challenged youths to recognise the potential of the agriculture sector, as well as the fact that their futures are linked to its prosperity.
“We need young blood,” Persaud argued.
He said the potential in agriculture is concrete and the returns significant, noting that it is a part of Guyana’s history and  its future is not that of yesterday, or even today.
Persaud said the old perceptions that deter more young people from taking up careers in agriculture are misplaced.
He said the sector of the future is one where the traditional approaches are changing and it is being transformed and revolutionized into one where more emphasis is being placed on mechanisation and research, too.
“We have started this process,” Persaud said.
He said this has been a necessary undertaking as the traditional and preferential markets and preferential prices are no longer there and Guyana now has to compete with global players.
Persaud said the challenges that come from Guyana having to trade in an international environment, as well as climate change, are the pressing issues affecting the sector.
He insisted that the landscape and the sector needs have changed, creating the necessity for more skills and opportunities.
Persaud urged the students to consider agriculture as a career path, pointing out that Guyana needs to stay ahead of the game by ensuring there is a consistent inflow of resources into the sector.
He said the objective of the career fair is to outline and explain opportunities in the agriculture sector and persuade people to get involved in a field that contributes in a significant way to Guyana’s economy.

Growth
He said 35 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) comes from the agriculture sector and, in the last years, the growth of the local economy matched that of the sector.
“Agriculture’s contribution is growing. Agriculture is vibrant and one of the fastest growing sectors in the economy,” Persaud offered.
Permanent Secretary in the Agriculture Ministry, Dr. Dindyal Permaul said Mathematics and English are key subject areas on which to put focus.
He said Mathematics gives students the ability to think logically and rationally, which extends to effective decision making through a thought process that is based on solid reasoning.
Permaul said English is equally important and, combined with the sciences, gives students the practical and technical base to advance in agriculture sector careers.
He said there is a range of activities in different areas, which include research, production and engineering.
Persaud said water management is another area that is attracting increasing attention.
Also present was the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry at the University of Guyana (UG), Mr. Lawrence Lewis, who described agriculture as an art, as well as a science and said, getting to the bottom line is business.
The students were further enlightened about the opportunities in agriculture with presentations by the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI), the Hydrometeorological Office, the Pesticides Board and the Fisheries Department, all of the Agriculture Ministry, Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo),  Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB)  and Geddes Grant (Guyana) Limited.