THE Farmers’ Organisations for Africa, Caribbean, and Pacific Programme (FO4ACP) has brought together representatives from farmers’ groups, Government institutions and other stakeholders at a National Stakeholder Workshop aimed at “strengthening the capacity of farmers’ organisations to promote sustainable family farming”.

According to a release, the workshop was organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and Procasur Corporation.
The objective was to open a space for dialogue among producers and their governmental and non-governmental partners to interface and discuss challenges faced by small-scale farmers and identify common solutions to improve the quality of the family farming sector in Guyana.

George Jervis, Chief Technical Officer of the Ministry of Agriculture, who delivered remarks on behalf of the ministry, emphasised support for the FO4ACP initiative to their transformative agenda for agriculture.

“It aligns with the Government’s plans to help farmers grow more and be better connected to markets, thus earning more, and living better; the Guyanese Government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, is working with people who need specific support and farmers who need to expand and diversify their production through investments. As Guyana continues to evolve as a culture of innovation within the region, we are implementing the agri-food system strategy for transformation… with special consideration for target groups such as micro, small, and medium enterprises, family farming cooperatives, and women and youth,” said Jervis.

Farmers’ organisations in Guyana have long played significant roles in supporting farmers and their communities to gain better access to finance and markets and to boost economic prosperity. Despite this, their training needs continue to increase as they navigate challenges due to changing social, economic, and environmental conditions, which compound their abilities to remain viable.

Participants had the opportunity to identify and discuss challenges small-scale farmers face in the country and outline potential solutions and opportunities that exist to solve these binding constraints.

Through this FO4ACP Programme, local Government agencies, and stakeholders, can advance appropriate technology, increase access to new markets, strengthen alliances among farmers’ organisations and enhance leadership. With this in mind, implementation of training programmes tailored to the needs of the farmers’ groups will be the next action.

Dr. Gillian Smith, FAO Representative in Guyana, highlighted that “agriculture, in particular, has been identified as one of the productive sectors that is key to the sustainable development and sustainable expansion of Guyana’s economy.”

The representatives from the farmers’ organisations agreed on the next steps for the FO4ACP activities in Guyana, considering the importance of adjusting the concept of family farming to the country’s reality, while building capacity in the organisations to develop their businesses and institutional portfolios.

(FAO)