DESPITE vehement protests by squatters late last year, the Regional Administration of Region Five is forging ahead with the establishment of a Model Farm demonstrating best farming and integrated farming practices at Fort Wellington, West Coast Berbice.

Regional Executive Officer (REO), Ovid Morrison, said last week that the Model Farm project will occupy 30 to 35 acres of the 49.7 acres of the land in the area and was in response to a charge by President David Granger for the Region to craft a Plan of Action for Regional Development (PARD).

He remarked that since the Model Farm project was floated in October of last years a number of farmers who had been squatting on the land had raised their objections to being asked to vacate the land. He rubbished claims by some “politically motivated individuals” that over 200 squatters will be adversely affected by the move to establish the Model Farm.

“There were actually 10 squatters on the land,” he said adding: “Late last year we gave these squatters up to February 28th, 2017 last to come in and discuss with us relocation and a deadline of March 31st 2017 to move from the land. Only six of the 10 came in to discuss the situation with us on or before February 28th, and they will be given plots of 1.5 acres of land next to the Model Farm.

Those four who did not heed our invitation are either being discourteous or have lost interest and they will be evicted after the March 31st 2017 deadline.”

He stressed that there was no question that the land belonged to the Regional Administration and that those former squatters, who have been granted permission to farm there on an allotted 1.5 acres each will not be given titles, or allowed to set up any permanent crops or structures, just short-term cash crops.

Morrison said that the 30 to 35 acres large Model Farm will be established as a demonstration farm on the scientific principles of production of crops, livestock and aquaculture and will be maintained for a period of five years.

“The intention is that interested residents, farmer, as well as senior schoolchildren in the Region, or even farther afield, can visit, learn about and see the application of modern concepts in the production of crops, livestock and fish, such as shade house production and other such concepts, including that of integrated farming, where nothing goes to waste.”

He added that it is generally known that integrated farming eliminates the need for many expensive inputs, typically associated with conventional agricultural production, such as feed and fertiliser.

The Model Farm, he said, is intended to demonstrate the use of integrated farming systems such as those in which waste products from animals can serve as fertiliser or feed for fish and such water can be used as fertilizer for crops in a sort of cycle, which makes a small farm almost completely self-reliant in the required inputs for cheap, but highly productive agricultural production.

Morrison said that the Region also intends to assist senior students, who are enthused by the technology of the Model Farm, in obtaining land from the Mahaica/Mahaicony/Abary Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA), which is the Regional land Administration agency, so that they can get involved in developing efficient and profitable systems of crops livestock and fish production.

A proposed management system for the Model Farm includes a Management Committee comprising Councillors of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), Officers of the Neighborhood Democratic Council (NDC) and experts in the field of crops, livestock and fisheries production among others.

Morrison noted that some land preparation has been done to date on the site but the Region Five Model Farm project is expected to get fully underway following the expiry of the March 31st deadline given to the squatters. (Clifford Stanley)