AGRICULTURE is intertwined with the fabric of the Guyanese people. It is part of the very history and foundation of nation and nationhood. Since his ascent to office, the Dr Irfaan Ali-led government has repeatedly championed agricultural growth and food security at home and abroad. The President, in his inaugural address to the 12th Parliament early last year, listed “Support to agriculture that will see mega investments in large-scale agriculture” as one of the transformative infrastructural projects for the country which, he admitted, will take years to complete, but will be started.

Learning from the lessons of neighbouring oil-and-gas countries, Guyana continuously boasts of preserving “non-oil” sectors; recognising the limited quantity of the oil resource; acknowledging the value of the other sectors in preserving Guyana’s economic strength and getting the “diversification” dilemma right from the inception. Guyana re-securing the agriculture portfolio in the CARICOM quasi-cabinet under President Ali after it slipped through the cracks under Mr Granger’s presidency solidifies that the sector is here to stay and food security will be high on the agenda of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government for Guyana and the Caribbean.

Feeding the world is becoming more of a challenge as the global population continues to soar. With that increase comes the question of whether the current methods of growing can sustain the impending increased demand. More resilient agricultural methodologies are also needed as the world continues to brace against the disastrous effects of climate change, felt even more devastatingly in Small Island Developing States (SIDS). What’s ironic is the role of food production and industrialisation in worsening global temperatures. It’s undeniable that we must innovate to survive.

“Agritech is the use of technology and technological innovation to improve the efficiency and output of agricultural processes. In other words, it is the application of technology to improve all elements of the farming and growing processes.

“Applications of agritech are far-ranging and encompass several different types of agricultural and technological innovations. However, the aim of all these agritech technologies is the same — an attempt to grow more food in less space and/or with fewer inputs,” Pinduoduo Inc., a China-based agricultural technology platform said.

There are limitations to the application of innovative technologies and much of that has to do with the demographic of those already involved in the agricultural sector. In a feature, the World Food Programme reports: “The success of any agricultural technology ultimately rests on the rate of adoption among farmers, in particular, small-holder growers. Five of every six farms in the world are smaller than two hectares (the size of about three soccer fields) and collectively they produce a third of the world’s food. In the case of China, small-holder farmers account for as high as 80% of food production. Many of these small-holder farmers are older and received less formal education, making it more difficult for them to adopt technology without support. The availability and accessibility of internet infrastructure is also a potential barrier in some countries.”

Agriculture Minister Mustapha has used international platforms to ground the need for increased innovation and bridging the digital divide in rural places. “I commend IICA [Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture] for this initiative, which underscores what must be done in order to develop the digital skills of rural populations, so that technologies and innovations can be adopted and used effectively. We hope that the findings and recommendations arising from the report will help guide decision-making and policy generation in Latin America and the Caribbean in the medium and short terms” Mustapha said at a Costa Rica-based conference in March last year.

“The different ministries of the region must engage in discussions on digital issues in order to identify agrotechnology areas that can provide training for farmers. We also need to consider subsidies and tax reductions for farmers in order to guarantee their access to these tools. Our government will make efforts to this end by ensuring not only low-cost technologies for primary processing in rural areas, but also by providing training to farmers, while acknowledging the gender divide”, Mustapha championed.

President Ali has sought to increase the involvement of young people in agriculture through pioneering the “Youth Agriculture and Innovation Entrepreneurship programme.” We reported on the initiative, which has seen a number of shade houses constructed recently, that: “Through the Youth Agriculture and Innovation Entrepreneurship programme, the government constructed shade houses and invested in hydroponics and vertical agriculture to produce high-valued [sic] crops such as broccoli, cauliflower and carrots.

“This simple yet significant project has the potential to empower young people to earn millions of dollars from the crops being produced. The crops were identified based on the country’s consumption pattern and economic indicators, which signal high demand for the crops.”

None of this exists in isolation from the upcoming Agri-Investment Forum and Expo this week, a nod to the Caribbean’s vision of achieving a 25 per cent reduction to the food-import bill by 2025. Guyana remains a champion for regional food security, reducing the region’s food-import bill, which stood at over US$10 Billion in 2020, and agricultural viability in a world where food supply-chain disruptions bear heavily on the pockets of households. There’s no doubt that the blend between agriculture and technology will be explored this week.