…over 1,000 acres of crops lost
THE flood waters have receded in Region 9 (Upper Takutu/ Upper Essequibo) and an assessment by the Agriculture Minister indicates that over 1,000 acres of crops, that is over 100,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables, have been lost. As the recovery effort continues, Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud, who visited the region yesterday, stressed that the response will be in the form of sustained interventions.
He stressed that the current administration has treated the floods in the region as a national emergency and, as such, has advanced a response that is both timely and adequate, but more importantly, that is sustained.
Persaud addressed hundreds of farmers and other residents from Region 9 who participated in a stakeholders’ recovery workshop yesterday at the Amerindian Hostel.
Those in attendance not only benefited from training in best practices when it comes to advancing agricultural activities, but also received supplies of spray cans to address pest problems, planting materials, storage containers and cassava mills. The supplies taken into the region were based on requests coming from affected communities.
The workshop focused on a recovery plan for implementation following the submission of reports from officers who were dispatched to affected areas to undertake a needs assessment of farmers and residents. The recovery plan is aimed at helping those affected return to productive activity.
The Agriculture Minister made it clear that ensuring food availability and food security is of paramount importance in the region, since this particular component is quintessential to the region’s full recovery.

Climate Smart
In advancing that recovery, Persaud stressed the need for a new approach, an approach that is climate smart, which augurs well for the region, as Guyana and the world over battle with the climate change phenomenon.
“Going forward we want to minimise risks with best practices,” he said.
Persaud maintained that a new trajectory is a must since the erratic weather caused by climate change is eating into yields and devastating agriculture.
The Agriculture Minister explained that climate smart agriculture looks at creating linkages for support, improving infrastructure, and using different techniques in food production.
“We cannot stop the floods, but we can do things differently and reduce our risks,” he said.
Persaud pointed out that climate smart agriculture is a concept that has to be taken on by farmers across the country, moreso on the coast, where approximately 90 per cent of the population resides and which is one meter below sea level.
Climate smart agriculture is one of the platforms from which adaptation to climate change is being promoted and it seeks to ensure that agricultural activities are undertaken with an understanding of certain facts. These include the need to increase production, while increasing the sector’s resiliency, and advancing practices aimed at mitigating climate change impacts.
Persaud contends that climate-smart agriculture includes the development of flood and drought resistant rice strains in the rice sector; improved mechanization in the sugar industry; increased use of genetic systems to advance the livestock sector; and the use of new technologies for other crops and fisheries sectors.

AN OPPORTUNITY
According to him, while the flood waters brought devastation to Region 9, they also brought the region an opportunity to change the paradigm of their agricultural activities.
“We need a new approach to agriculture in the region,” he stressed.
The Agriculture Minister urged that residents, more particularly the farmers, take advantage of the opportunity to advance change that will see the region more resilient to the impacts of climate change.
He warned that by all indications, the impacts of climate change are only expected to get worse, a fact proven by the recent floods that were the worst the region has experienced in decades.

PHASE THREE
Also present at yesterday’s meeting was Region 9 Regional Executive Officer (REO), Ronald Harsawack, who told the stakeholders that the recovery is in its third phase, which will see emphasis on rebuilding and a return to normalcy.
He explained that phase one was relief and support to over 400 families that needed shelter and food.
Phase two, Harsawack said, focused on deploying support teams to meet immediate needs. Those teams also assessed the condition of critical infrastructure and the losses that resulted from the inundation.
“Phase three is expected to last for about four to five months,” he said.
The REO noted that during this time, the focus will be on ensuring a level of normalcy and the improvement of the communication system among villages spread across the region to ensure that all affected are supported.
The team meeting with farmers yesterday also included Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai and the Amerindian Affairs Ministry’s Permanent Secretary Collin Croal, as well as other stakeholders who engaged the farmers in an interactive session.
A representative from the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) was also present at the meeting.
GBTI will be offering financing at a 6 per cent interest rate with no collateral requirement, which is expected to augment the massive effort by the Government to ensure the provision of assistance to those affected.
A team of technical officers from the Ministry of Agriculture, with support from other agencies, will host a similar workshop for farmers and residents  tomorrow at the Aishalton benab.