REPRESENTATIVES from the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Canada, UN Women, UK Aid, the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), and Guyana’s Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) gathered for a sensitisation and engagement workshop on Wednesday.

The focus of the workshop was to discuss the creation of gender mainstreaming courses and training tools for climate-smart agriculture. The event took place at the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) in Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara.
In her presentation on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture, the Permanent Secretary (PS) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Delma Nedd, stated that the agriculture sector is one of the fastest-growing sectors in Guyana’s economy.

The government of Guyana, through the MoA, aims to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA), according to the Permanent Secretary.
She said: “This institution is a building that is and will be at the forefront of education, research, and development in our pursuit of our own resilient and equitable sector. Today’s event encompasses several different activities, with each civilising our commitment to sustainable agriculture practices and a brighter, more inclusive future for our region.”
Nedd also related that while the project is being launched at GSA, their aim as a government is to create an enabling environment that allows students, faculty, and researchers to effectively take gender-based and climate-smart agriculture to the next level.
In addition, she mentioned that, with the product, they will strive towards promoting increased gender equality, sustainable disaster risk reduction management, climate change adaptation, and environmental management across nine Caribbean countries.
Ms. Nedd added, “with this gender base climate smart boost that is online and self-paced, we are tailoring it to the specific needs and context of Guyana.”
Moreover, the PS emphasised the government of Guyana’s commitment to capacity building, ensuring that technical staff, extension officers, farmers, and youths are adequately equipped.

“Gender is not mainly an act of thought, but it is an integral component of sustainable and effective agricultural practices. Women play an essential role in agriculture, and promoting their active participation is essential for sustainable development,” she related.
Ms. Nedd added that the government of Guyana, through the Ministry of Agriculture, is currently pursuing projects that will foster greater female involvement.
The PS listed several projects that are specifically designed for women.
“This project aims to have over 50 percent of its beneficiaries be women to help simulate the economic activities of female farmers. Next, we have the cut rose farmers, which target women and single parents,” she added.

In an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Gavin Ramnarine, the CEO of GSA, expressed the immense joy of the staff and students for the laptop computers graciously donated by IICA.
According to him, one of the most important things for the students is the use of technology in agriculture.

“Record keeping, analysing, and getting information on the weather and the humidity require data. Agriculture these days is all about data, and one of the things that we will have to do is use the computers for training at our campus here in Mon Repos as well as the campus on the Essequibo Coast. A lot of the software programmes on the system will predict yields so that we will know what type of fertiliser to use and the quantity of it, it will be the same with the herbicides as well,” Ramnarine explained.

The CEO also emphasised that the computers will provide students with the opportunity to gain firsthand information, empowering them to make informed decisions regarding their studies. Furthermore, he commented that GSA was gradually and steadily delving into the digital realm, aided by the government and its collaboration with IICA.
Also speaking at the workshop were the British High Commissioner to Guyana, Ms. Jane Miller; the IICA representative in Guyana/CARICOM Liaison, Mr. Wilmot Garnett; the Head of Cooperation for Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, Global Affairs Canada, Mr. Adam Loyer; and the Resident Coordinator, United Nations Guyana, Ms. Yesim Oruc.
They all expressed similar views in favour of developing gender-mainstreaming courses and training tools on climate-smart agriculture.

According to the British High Commissioner, “this project brings together two things that are really important to the United Kingdom, namely, gender and climate change. We all know that Guyana is amazing and is on top of the economy, and a lot of energy is being put into that. It is an incredible country…but we should not be complacent. With climate change, we have to adapt; we have to find new ways of doing agriculture…especially now that we are experiencing drought at the moment. I am delighted that this project is partnering with the university to experiment and try out new ways of farming.”

Ms. Miller also commended President Ali, his government, and all those who are partnering to make the project a success.