-situation room, data analytic platform, new laboratory and programmes for differently-abled persons on the cards

THE Guyana School of Agriculture will soon be converted into a regional institution offering more innovate training programmes and newer technologies.

The country’s Head of State Dr. Irfaan Ali made this disclosure during his address at the opening of the 38th Session of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)’s Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean (LARC) held in Georgetown, Guyana last Monday.

The country, he said, is investing in a ‘centre of excellence’ in collaboration with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, which will be equipped with a situational room and state-of-the-art data analytic platform to support regional food security and food production.

Dr. Ali, who currently chairs the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and holds the responsibly for agriculture within the 15 bloc intergovernmental organisation, explained that this initiative will see data-driven decision-making being made within the region’s agricultural sector.

“All our people in the region [will be] studying right here with the best technology on the best platform. We are converting the Guyana School of Agriculture into a regional, international institution with a branding of IICA with us, so that’s another area that we are working on,” President Ali said.

Meanwhile, Guyana’s Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, in an invited comment to this newspaper said money has already been budgeted to expand the institution.

“The design has already been completed. The technical officers were in Guyana [and] they looked at the design, they looked at the Guyana School of Agriculture and very shortly we will be going out to tender, to start the construction of that school; it’s not a new construction but we will modify the Guyana School of Agriculture,” he said.
According to Mustapha, who also chair’s CARICOM’s food security ministerial taskforce, the modified school will feature a laboratory and farm for differently-abled persons.

NEW FARMERS, NEW TECHNOLOGIES

In a sit-down interview with this newspaper on the sidelines of the regional summit,Director of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Dr. Manuel Otero, said the collaboration between the Government of Guyana and IICA will embrace newer technologies to target food-security goals, such as addressing malnutrition and hunger in the region.

“[We] are taking in to account that the young people are the future of agriculture and we need a new generation of farmers. Farmers that are much more acquainted with the new technologies. Farmers are becoming professionals, farmers have to read and understand the technologies,” Dr. Otero said, adding:
“Our continent and some key countries like Guyana have a special responsibility Guyana has land, Guyana has a tropical ecosystem, Guyana has farmers and new options.”

In fact, Guyana he said has been playing a ‘proactive role’ and has crafted a model to transform its agriculture and food-production systems, seeking out newer technologies and innovative programmes to meet the nutritional needs of the region.

Dr. Otero noted that every country is unique, and their approach to address the challenges faced within the production sector may vary, but in Guyana’s case, what has been notable is the government’s persistent and public-private partnerships to not only increase food production, but also the investments being made in innovation.

“Each country has a model to be followed, and it’s necessary to be persistent and to have a long-term vision,” Dr. Otero said.

This year, Guyana was the host country for the FAO conference, which saw the gathering of regional agriculture ministers and other stakeholders holding discussions to foster deeper cooperation and strategies on essential topics such as sustainability, transformation, food security, agri-food systems and climate change.
Simultaneously, Guyana is leading the charge in CARICOM to slash the region’s US$6 billion food-import expenditure.