-as World Food Day is observed today

DRAWING attention to the importance of fresh water in food production, World Food Day this year is being held under the theme, ‘Water is life, water is food. Leave no one behind’ and here in Guyana, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has partnered with the Ministry of Agriculture to inform farmers of best practices to conserve this vital commodity.

FAO representative to Guyana, Dr. Gillian Smith in an exclusive interview told the Guyana Chronicle that although Guyana has an abundance of fresh water, which is ideal for food production, changing weather patterns and the effects of climate change have brought to light the importance of water.

“In Guyana, different from many of the Caribbean countries, there is quite a surplus of water, but there are also times when there is no water and we are reminded of that right now,” she said.

Guyana like most of the world is currently experiencing El Niño. This refers to the warm climate pattern that affects tropical regions. El Niño occurs on average every two to seven years, and episodes typically last nine to 12 months. It is a naturally occurring climate pattern associated with the warming of the ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Simply explained, it is a period when the weather is warmer than usual.

“We are also in the middle of El Niño and one of the things that happen with El Niño is the patterns change dramatically and we experience more drought;,, and this is an important time to remind us sometimes we have a lot of water and we also have to plan and be prepared for the times when there is not so much. Add the latter to that with climate change and the importance of climate change on water, our water sources,” Dr. Smith added.
With these weather patterns being a concern when it comes to water conservation, climate-smart practices must be prioritised.

“One part of the work that we are doing with Guyana is we are looking at disaster risk management. We say disaster risk management, but it is really more about resilience, it’s more about improving the way that agriculture is managed to ensure that farmers and producers and agro-processors all utilize very good climate-smart agriculture [sic] practices, such as storing water, harvesting, drip irrigation and mulching,” the FAO official told this publication.

The ongoing dry spell is expected to last until November, and the authorities have assured citizens that the country has sufficient water to meet current demand.

However, both the Head of State, Dr. Irfaan Ali, and the agriculture minister, Zulfikar Mustapha have called on citizens to conserve water.

The agriculture minister recently disclosed that fresh water is being conserved to assist farmers during this dry-weather period.

He stated that local authorities have stored freshwater and are monitoring water use and storage levels to guarantee that there is enough water to last throughout the dry season.

In some regions, surface water has dried up and there is a reduction in flows from springs. Some hinterland communities are more adversely affected.

The government has since implemented a system to ensure that water is being supplied to communities in Regions One, Seven and Eight.