COMMUNITY development leaders and residents of Laluni aim to become one of the nation’s Citrus Hubs by investing in, and increasing productivity in, the agriculture sector, using funds from the recent sale of Guyana’s Carbon Credits.
The village is home to over 300 residents, many of whom are farmers. They cultivate income crops like cherries and oranges on a smaller scale and also raise livestock.

In a recent interview with the Guyana Chronicle newspaper, the Community Development Council (CDC) Chairman, Julian Mohabir, revealed that numerous consultations and community meetings with the residents were held to build and define robust strategies to address the community’s demands.

According to him, “The residents of the community decided they wanted an excavator; we decided to purchase the excavator, and soon the excavator will be in the village. The excavator is to reopen the old road for farmers so they can get to the market. The road was abandoned, and farmers had to fetch their loads a far way to reach the vehicle, and that will help them.”

He also explained that, in addition to rebuilding a few farm-to-market road that had been abandoned for a while, the excavator will also build dams, clear land, and improve drainage. He also added that the community had received approximately GY$24 million, of which $19 million had been put aside for the purchase and maintenance of the large pieces of equipment. The remaining monies, according to him, will be utilised to maintain and repair a community canter so that farmers can transport their commodities effectively.

Mohabir further stated that “the main crop in the village right now is citrus, mainly cherry. Laluni produces the most cherries in the country, and the roads and transportation are the main issues most farmers and residents have. This canter will really help them so they can market and sell.”
In addition, Mohabir revealed that the council has developed a 10-year plan that focuses on diversifying the community’s economy, empowering the young, encouraging tourism, and developing education which he said he hopes can also be funded by carbon credits.

The first carbon credits under ART TREES credits in history were issued to Guyana by the Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART) in December 2022. This was a significant occasion since it was the first time a nation was issued jurisdiction scale carbon credits created especially for the voluntary and compliant carbon markets for effectively maintaining Guyana’s pristine forests (a procedure known as jurisdictional REDD+).

Guyana received 33.47 million TREES credits from ART for the five-year period from 2016 to 2020 after an independent validation and verification process was finished and approved by the ART Board of Directors. This opened the door for a historic deal between Hess Corporation and the government of Guyana, whereby the international private company purchased nearly one-third of all the country’s credits (issued and projected) through 2030.

The arrangement will bring in at least US$750 million for Guyana over the next ten years and is a significant step towards realising a goal that was first outlined in 2007.
Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, vice president of Guyana, revealed, in a recent interview that more foreign purchasers are becoming interested in the nation’s carbon credits.

Carbon credits, commonly referred to as carbon offsets, are a means of removing or reducing greenhouse gases to offset emissions generated in other places. Carbon credits are permits or tradeable licences.
A study of the worldwide voluntary market, according to Dr. Jagdeo, shows that the country earned exemplary commercial terms, for its thriving rainforests and environmental stewardship. He went on to say that if credits rise in value when traded in secondary markets, the arrangement can pay out much more money.

The worth of the carbon that trees store can be determined by the issuance of forest carbon credits by independent verification organisations. Companies can buy these tradeable credits recognising that the carbon stored in forests is one component of the solution to reaching a global climate where one tonne of carbon dioxide has been cut, avoided, or sequestered for every carbon credit.

Following meetings with more than 200 indigenous groups, Dr. Jagdeo declared, in February of this year, that each community would receive between GY$10 million and GY$35 million, or 15% of the proceeds the nation made from the sale of its carbon credits.

(This is part of a weekly series on LCDS.) The author can be contacted at cparkinson0206@gmail.com.