– Min. Sukhai commissions savannah farm

QUIKO, a small Amerindian village located in South Central Rupununi, Region Nine, has made notable progress in attaining food security and financial stability through the implementation of extensive cash crop cultivation.
Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai commissioned the four-acre savannah farm during her visit to the community on Monday.

Cultivation of crops such as sweet peppers, bora, eschalot, and watermelon, among other varieties, is taking place on the savannah farm.
Ronald Ignatius, Senior Councillor of Quiko, emphasized, in an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI), that this project will provide vital support to the hot meal programmes for school children.

“Our main crop is cash crops as you can look around. We have eschalot…those crops that are cash crops to supply hot meals, private entities that do catering and so (on),” he expounded.
While income generation is an important factor, creating employment opportunities for residents is another crucial element of the project.

“(We are) creating job opportunities (by) having this large farm. We decided to employ persons in the community that have children attending secondary schools in order to have an income at the end of the day (and) other young people to have a knowledge of this farming (techniques),” the senior councillor said.

Ignatius noted that this initiative was conceived holistically by the community, recognising the importance of food safety and while they faced some challenges in its development, they were able to persevere.

Meanwhile, Minister Sukhai commended the leadership for the initiative and congratulated the village on their achievement.
This achievement was made possible through the provision of $9 million in funding made available through the sale of Guyana’s carbon credit under the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS 2030).

Revenues earned from the sale of carbon credits became possible after the government in 2023 signed a multi-year, multi-million dollar agreement with global energy giant – Hess Corporation – that will see 2.5 million in credits being sold to the company annually.

The first payment of US$150 million was received in 2023. And, aligned with the commitment contained in the LCDS 2030, US$22.5 million (GY4.7B) was disbursed to over 200 Amerindian, hinterland, rural and riverine communities/villages.

This has enabled villages like Quiko to strategise their own growth and prosperity while attaining self-reliance through investments in key sectors like agriculture, tourism, women and youth empowerment, and other revenue-generating endeavours.
Quiko serves as a remarkable illustration of how strategic investments in remote areas can yield a favourable and enduring influence.