“AGRICULTURE will be back on top the way how it is supposed to be. Let us keep pushing towards agro-processing because if we ought to feed a country or a nation, we need to stand for food security, where Guyanese will actually go and tilt[sic] their land, whatever they produce, they can feed the family and the surplus they can sell it,” these are the words expressed by Nathan Whitney, a farmer from Black Bush Polder, Berbice.

Whitney was at the time addressing the importance of farming and its benefits among the youths at a National Multi-Stakeholder Meeting on the Vegetable Market System, which was held at the Cara Lodge Hotel in Georgetown on Tuesday.

The session was facilitated by the Ministry of Agriculture, along with its subsidiaries, inclusive of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) and Agro In a private sector entity which provides agriculturural crop solutions from seeds to crop protection inclusive of pesticides- to address and bring solutions as they relate to the needs of poor farmers in the country.

The meeting also focused on the needs of women and men farm producers, which further strengthened the point that farming must be appreciated as the basic necessity of life.

It was also noted that an upgrade in our farming methodologies if we are going to attract the next generation.

Whitney made the point that more emphasis and benefits should be placed on young people as it pertains to agriculture.

He strongly advocated the need for more programmes to be rolled out to attract youths, since agriculture isn’t just for the traditional farmer.

Whitney believes that shadehouse farming is of great importance, since the farmer can actually attend to his crops in a better way.

The benefits of shadehouse farming
There are great benefits when it comes to shadehouse farming, Whitney pointed out during an interview with this publication during Tuesday’s meeting.

“ With shade over the crops, it will actually give him an ease. It will actually reduce the heat of the sun, so that he can go on and tend to his crops even better and the benefits of that is better crop production, hence there will be quality fruits, quality plants, healthy plants,” Whitney was quoted as saying.

Remarks were also given by the High Commissioner of Canada to Guyana, Mark Berman.

The Sustainable Agriculture in the Caribbean (SAC) Project is implemented by the World University Service of Canada (WUSC) with funding from the Canadian Government through the Global Affairs Canada (GAC).

High Commissioner Berman assured the audience gathered that the Sustainable Agricultural Project is very important to Canada’s development efforts here in Guyana and other Caribbean countries, including Jamaica, Suriname, St Lucia and Dominica. There are also beneficiaries of this SAC project.

He noted that in October of this year, there was a virtual launch of the project in which 25 agricultural markets across the five countries were engaged and local organisations benefited from capacity-building sessions.

The Canadian High Commissioner noted that in a fast-changing world, innovation is a central strategy for achieving economic goals.

During the virtual launch in October, it was noted that Guyana’s agricultural sector is vulnerable to climate change, projects such as the SAC are essential to bolster the effects of climate change and economic resistance.

In a recent article posted by the Guyana Chronicle, dated October 27, 2021 and specifically, at the virtual launch earlier this year, Guyana’s Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha outlined in brief remarks that the project will increase opportunities and capacity for women and youths in various agricultural markets.

“The Government of Guyana aims to help farmers grow more, be better connected to markets, thereby earning more and living better lives,” he said.

The minister noted that the private sector also has a pivotal role to play.

“At the same time, the private sector has a role to play as enablers in this system to increase their productivity, improve the quality of their production and their reliability as suppliers, and help build strong producer organisations to access the markets,” he added.