The Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) on Wednesday hosted its annual student exhibition at the Plant Science Building, highlighting the entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking of its students.
From soaps and wines to breads, cake mixes, and other agro-processed items, the showcase featured a wide range of products designed not just for classwork, but for the supermarket shelves and future businesses of the students themselves.

The event brought together over 100 students from various disciplines, including agro-processing, agriculture, chemistry, and food microbiology, with the common goal of creating market-ready, sustainable products using locally sourced ingredients.

According to GSA’s Director of Academic Affairs, Oscar Glasgow, the exhibition reflects the institution’s longstanding commitment to preparing students for the workforce through practical, hands-on education.
“Our students are geared for the world of work,” Glasgow said. “Many of them move on to the University of Guyana and benefit from exemptions due to the diploma they earn here. But more importantly, they leave GSA ready, with the skills and mindset to contribute or start their own ventures.”

Glasgow noted that industry feedback on GSA graduates continues to be overwhelmingly positive, praising them for being “hands-on” and “industry-ready.”
The annual student exhibition, he said, was a perfect representation of what GSA aims to foster: innovation, business development, and a deeper understanding of agriculture and food science.

“It’s quite interesting what the students can come up with,” he added. “Many of these products have real potential, and the students are encouraged to enhance and commercialise them.”
Manager of the Agro-processing Facility and lecturer in charge of the exhibition, Grace Parris, explained that students were challenged to create new and innovative products that are not only unique to the local market but also sustainable and locally sourced.

“They’re taught to build a business around their product. Their certificate is not necessarily one where they’ll look for a job—they have to create the job,” she said.
Parris emphasised that the aim is to shift students’ mindsets from being job seekers to job creators. “They’ve been taught everything from production to marketing and scaling up. They’re equipped to sustain themselves and eventually employ others.”

First-year lecturers Okola Arokium and Richelle Ellis, who teach chemistry, biology, and food microbiology, saw the exhibition as an opportunity to help students appreciate the real-world applications of their classroom learning. From the science of saponification in soap-making to fermentation in wine production, the event allowed students to bring their academic knowledge to life.

“Today, our students are presenting their chemistry projects,” said Arokium. “This helps them to connect theory with practice, and also see how these concepts can lead to real business opportunities.”
Ellis added that encouraging students to think of their projects as business ventures helps plant the seeds for long-term development. “We’re looking at how they can build small businesses from these ideas. It’s not just about the grades—it’s about sustainable futures.”

Ronald Noble, a food processing engineer at the GSA, echoed this sentiment, urging students not to let their ideas end with the exhibition. “Don’t just produce a lovely product and leave it as a class project,” Noble said. “Take it further—you have all the expertise at your fingertips.”

With over six decades of service to Guyana’s agriculture sector, the GSA continues to adapt to the needs of a modern society. Through exhibitions like these, it bridges the gap between education and industry, and equips the next generation of agricultural entrepreneurs with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to shape Guyana’s future.