THE small, basically farming community of Dora in the Demerara River, off the Linden/Soesdyke Highway, is home to over 300 persons. The residents are somewhat scattered, their houses not being too close to each other.

The lifestyle in Dora is basically very different from the ‘fast and furious’ one that obtains in the city in that a generally more relaxed atmosphere prevails.

One Dora resident even disclosed that he sleeps with his doors and windows open whenever he feels like it.

Located some 30 minutes’ walk from Dora is Shigam Inc. Smart Agriculture Development, a farm that is owned by Israeli, Liran Peretz and Brian Younge. The man overseeing things on the farm is Stephen Hilary Cornelius.

The farm’s produce is sold on the local market. With help from the government and other organizations, however, items may possibly be shipped overseas. The price list of the New Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) is used to guide Shigam Inc in selling its produce.

Varieties of melons, cucumbers, sweet peppers, and tomatoes are some of the vegetables produced on the farm. There are six greenhouses and two ‘shade’ houses at Shigam. A greenhouse is a structure with different types of covering materials, such as shade or plastic roof, which allows for greater control over the growing environment of plants. Key factors which may be controlled include temperature, light, water, fertilizer, and atmosphere.

Greenhouses may be used to overcome the poor growing qualities of a piece of land, such as poor light levels, seasons, or soil infertility, thereby improving food production in marginal environments.

Supermarkets such as Bounty, Survival and Nigel’s are some of the businesses that are supplied with vegetables from Shigam. Fast-food outlets are also among those supplied.

Shigam’s office is located at Waterloo Street in Georgetown, close to Lamaha Street. If anyone wants to get in touch with the farm or pay them a visit, they can call 641-1544, or send an email to shigam.com.