REGION 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice) has been allocated $3.9 B, from the 2019 national budget, which is the largest allocation the region has received and an over $500 M increase from $3.3B in 2018. The region has seen it fit to add agriculture, to its four existing programme heads, which are: Health, Education, Administration and Public Works.

The RDC has been pushing for increased agricultural production in the region, so as to strengthen its food security base and to limit its dependency on other regions for agricultural produce. Regional Chairman Renis Morian highlighted that this is necessary for the provision of funding for agricultural projects throughout Region 10, since the region is gearing towards diversification in the various sectors.

It has been noted over the years that over 70% of Linden’s food consumption is imported into the town by farmers and vendors from other areas such as Regions Two, Three and Five. With the plethora of trucks that enters Linden on a daily basis with fruits, vegetables and ground provisions, Linden farmers were placed on the back burner since Lindeners even supported those outside vendors and farmers.

The RDC is cognisant of Region 10’s high dependency on agricultural produce from other regions and there is fear of recurrence of the food scarity which occurred in 2005 from the coastal flood. It was described as a regional disaster as food was a scarce commodity. It is because of these reasons that the RDC will include agriculture as a programme head, giving it the priority and attention it deserves. Programmes to raise awareness on the importance of agriculture will be initiated and technical and material support in the form of training, seeds, tools, etc will be given to all those who take up the mandate to farm.

The RDC has been motivated by the many farmers and even residents who came forward and have shown interest in agriculture and have even started their own subsistence farming in their backyards.

On a wider scale however, the RDC is looking to support wide-scale farming in the farming community of Dallawalla; this has been stagnated for some time due to regular inundation as a result of poor drainage and irrigation systems. Dallawalla was once the source of a significant amount of food that was produced in Region 10. The RDC will be collaborating with the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) to revitalise farming in the community.

In addition to Dallawalla, the RDC is pursuing various avenues and looking into other communities in an effort to restore agricultural development in Region 10. Communities such as Christianburg, West Watooka, and Wisroc are being targeted from the ground level. The National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) has indicated that it is lending 100% support to agriculture in Region 10.

One of the strategies on which the RDC will be embarking is to establish a farmers’ market adjacent to the Wismar Municipal Market on Burnham Drive, on weekends, as a start to gain the residents’ confidence. A trial exhibition was done in October and was well received. “If we can get a steady flow of food every weekend, that will help to build the residents’ confidence, that they could look internally for that food supply.” Morian is calling for all stakeholders and local leaders to come on board to holistically push agricultural production in Region 10.