WITH a slowdown in logging activities, some Bethany residents are beginning to shift their attention more to farming as a means to secure their livelihoods.This is according to toshao of the settlement, Harold Manslow, who said that the decline in logging is due to more villagers nowadays opting to go into the mining industry, where employment opportunities are more lucrative.

He pointed out that with time, certain traditions change and young people today who remain in the village seem more interested in farming than logging.
The village has an area of about 200 acres of land open for cultivation, but only about 30 per cent of it is cultivated.
Toshao Manslow wants to widen the acreage of lands cultivated, but said a proper drainage and irrigation system will have to be put in place.
The Guyana Chronicle was told that in order to open up the land east of the settlement to more cultivation, a canal about a mile long will have to be dug.
Some years ago, a canal of about a mile in length was excavated to open up the land to farming, but phase two of the project was never completed.
Toshao Manslow told this publication that he would be grateful if the Government steps in and completes phase two of the project, which was abandoned for reasons unknown to him.
He said the Village Council wants to extend plantain cultivation, since there is a ready market for the produce in some areas on the Essequibo Coast, Parika and Georgetown.
And by virtue of the expansion, some young villagers will gain employment.
According to Manslow, there are not many issues affecting the settlement, since most young people are disciplined and do not waste away their lives.

WOMEN’S GROUP
Next to him was a young single mother named Petra Brock-Richard, a member of the Bethany Women’s Group. Brock-Richard said the group, founded in the 1990s, currently has 20 members who engage mainly in sewing.

They sew pillow cases and towels and when they have a certain quantity, they would organise a village sale. The young mother said the response has always been overwhelming. Unlike most of the other women, Brock-Richard also does tailoring and sees it as a means of financial empowerment.
Recently, villagers through self-help built a centre from money given through Government’s Presidential Grant to accommodate more women interested in sewing, but the centre is yet to open its doors.
When it becomes operational, it will become a training ground for women of the village interested in learning the art of sewing.
Brock-Richard said the goal is to get the centre up to capacity, so that it will be able to produce uniforms for every schoolchild in Bethany, bringing an end to their annual trip on the Essequibo Coast to get same.
With a building at their disposal, the Bethany Women’s Group is hoping to attract more young members into its fold, but needs more sewing machines.
Currently, the group is managing with only two and needs about five more to sew and are training others in sewing.
The group made up of mainly housewives and farmers are appealing to Government to help their worthy cause.