Agriculture has long been the cornerstone of Guyana’s economy. In this ever-modernising world, the Government of Guyana made efforts to keep longstanding economic industries, like agriculture, efficient, relevant, and sustainable.

Creating a resilient industry
President David Granger, in his recent address to the National Assembly, said that sustainability and resilience are priority characteristics for the Agriculture sector.

“Agriculture is still a mainstay of our economy, constituting 16.6 per cent of our GDP in 2017. It is the largest employer, accounting for 17.8 per cent of our labour force. Your government will continue to build a more resilient agricultural sector through various measures, including improved drainage and irrigation, the introduction of high-yield crop varieties and encouraging integrated pest management,” the Head of State said.

In keeping with President Granger’s vision of sustainable agriculture, Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Noel Holder said his Ministry has begun integrating the use of technology to encourage the development of precision agriculture in Guyana.

“The whole technological base for agriculture is changing. In the past, we were talking about an aging farming population but farming in the future will be quite different. It’s going to be farming that is spearheaded by younger people. We’re talking about using drones, drone technology, for planting rice, for fertilizing whole fields, for [applying] our pesticides. More precision agriculture that requires satellite-based technology, which is not something that is easily adapted to by the older folks… It’s a more [modern] kind of approach to agriculture in general,” he said.

Further, the Agriculture Minister said that a generation of agricultural leaders, au fait with the merging of agriculture and technology is within reach.

“When [graduates] leave the Guyana School of Agriculture, they must be able to drive a tractor and not just drive a tractor like a car, but use all the implements associated with a tractor… I’d like to see our students come out of the Guyana School of Agriculture fully equipped to handle any of these machines. It should not be just going into the backlands… with a cutlass… I want them to be able to understand and use drones in agriculture… this is the kind of new agriculture that I’d like to see,” he said.

Modernising agriculture education

The Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) has been producing skilled agricultural workers since 1963. The school now takes on a new endeavour: integrating modern techniques and technology into its curriculum. Frontman for the task, Director of Academic Affairs at the GSA, Mr. Oscar Glasgow said that the school recognises and is actively pursuing technology’s place in agriculture.

“In agriculture, it is of paramount importance that we introduce the latest of technology available to us here in Guyana. At present, we are overhauling our curriculum… It is important that education and training really get on board with the use of the various technologies available out there. Our students expect us to use new techniques, new ways of doing things, and we are also expecting them to embrace the use of new technology in agriculture,” he said.

Mr. Glasgow said a modernised agricultural sector could be the key to a hunger-free Guyana. It is simple, he says, more technology means more wholesome food, reduced production cost, increased shelf life, and better accessibility for those in need. He has issued a call for the country’s youth to embrace agriculture as an essential evolving sector within Guyana’s economy.

“As we embrace technology in agriculture, our youth will come on board, I’m confident of that. And GSA is playing a very vital role in this movement. As we involve more and more technology in our agriculture operations here, when our students go out there into

the world of work, they will use whatever technology they have available to them since they have learnt it here. And gradually it will catch on,” he said.

The future of agriculture
Both Minister Holder and Mr. Glasgow agree that Agriculture is no longer a ‘poor man’s’ business. The students of the GSA were also eager to share on the great impact technology will have on Guyana’s Agriculture sector.

Forestry student, Ms. Zafia McKen expects the technological advances to give Guyana an economic boost.

“Once the labour cost is reduced, the money that needs to be spent for these operations to be carried out is also reduced. Even though machinery might cost a bit much, you need skilled labourers to work those machines and not 100 unskilled labourers to work the same job that the machine is going to [do],” she said.

Ms. Akailah Gordon said that in addition to reduced labour costs in the fields, technology can boost the value of products.

“In our everyday day life, we try to [make improvements]. We try to improve the necessities especially… [These are] food, clothing, and shelter. So Agro-processing revolves mostly around food… We try to improve the length or shelf life of our food as well as the value of it… Agriculture is very important to our country’s economy. It is what brings in the three necessities of life, food, shelter, and clothing. And without it there is nothing,” she said.

For an agro-reliant economy like Guyana’s, modernisation is key to the industry’s longevity. This Government has prioritised sustainability and innovation within the sector to make way for a new generation of relevant and skilled agricultural leaders. Guyana is well on its way to becoming the breadbasket of the Caribbean.