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RESIDENTS of communities in the North West District and Rupununi are the latest beneficiaries of an Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) programme to promote hydroponic or soilless farming technology in hinterland areas. The agency disclosed, recently, that it is facilitating the execution of a shade house project which aims at promoting hydroponics in two more communities in addition to that ongoing for schools.
IICA is executing the programme in collaboration with the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) through its Telefoods funding facility, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Agriculture.
Beneficiary hinterland residents are members of the Blue Flame Women’s Agro-Processing Group based at Mabaruma in Region 1 (Barima/Waini) and the Bina Hill Learning Institute at Annai, in Region 9 (Upper Takatu/Upper Essequibo). IICA promotion of hydroponics has had three components, to date, namely:
* hosting the 2012 Secondary Schools Hydroponics
Competition which involved 45 of them from Regions 2,3,4,5,6 and 10;
* providing continuous technical support for the sustainability of three shade houses to be located on the premises of Practical Instruction Centres at Beterverwagting and Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara; Sophia and D’Urban Backlands in Georgetown and
* construction, operationalisation and provision of continuous technical support for the sustainability of two shade houses to be located on the premises of Blue Flame Women’s Agro-processing Group and Bina Hill Learning Institute.
The 2012 Secondary Schools Hydroponics Competition has been completed with overwhelming participation from both the students and teachers while the second and third components are ongoing.
Last week IICA, in collaboration with FAO and the Country Office of Partners of the Americas facilitated a hydroponics tour involving four representatives from the Rupununi and three interns from the University of Guyana (UG).
Touring party}
The touring party comprised Beesham Narine and Joyline Hamilton, Officers of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) based in Region 9; Suresh Andrews and Winston Marare, teacher and student, respectively, of Bina Hill Institute and the UG interns Lester Browne, Marissa Smartt and Shari Salisbury.
They visited Mars Friends Hydropnics Gardens at Friendship, East Bank Demerara and the Mekdeci Hydroponic Farm on Water Street and the Joshua House Orphanage Hydroponic Garden in Thomas Street, both in the city and the Guyana School of Agriculture at Mon Repos, accompanied and guided by IICA’s Field Assistant Jermaine Joseph.
They benefitted from an exposure to hydroponics technology as well as a first-hand look at the operation and its potential.
IICA is executing the programme in collaboration with the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) through its Telefoods funding facility, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Agriculture.
Beneficiary hinterland residents are members of the Blue Flame Women’s Agro-Processing Group based at Mabaruma in Region 1 (Barima/Waini) and the Bina Hill Learning Institute at Annai, in Region 9 (Upper Takatu/Upper Essequibo). IICA promotion of hydroponics has had three components, to date, namely:
* hosting the 2012 Secondary Schools Hydroponics
Competition which involved 45 of them from Regions 2,3,4,5,6 and 10;
* providing continuous technical support for the sustainability of three shade houses to be located on the premises of Practical Instruction Centres at Beterverwagting and Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara; Sophia and D’Urban Backlands in Georgetown and
* construction, operationalisation and provision of continuous technical support for the sustainability of two shade houses to be located on the premises of Blue Flame Women’s Agro-processing Group and Bina Hill Learning Institute.
The 2012 Secondary Schools Hydroponics Competition has been completed with overwhelming participation from both the students and teachers while the second and third components are ongoing.
Last week IICA, in collaboration with FAO and the Country Office of Partners of the Americas facilitated a hydroponics tour involving four representatives from the Rupununi and three interns from the University of Guyana (UG).
Touring party}
The touring party comprised Beesham Narine and Joyline Hamilton, Officers of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) based in Region 9; Suresh Andrews and Winston Marare, teacher and student, respectively, of Bina Hill Institute and the UG interns Lester Browne, Marissa Smartt and Shari Salisbury.
They visited Mars Friends Hydropnics Gardens at Friendship, East Bank Demerara and the Mekdeci Hydroponic Farm on Water Street and the Joshua House Orphanage Hydroponic Garden in Thomas Street, both in the city and the Guyana School of Agriculture at Mon Repos, accompanied and guided by IICA’s Field Assistant Jermaine Joseph.
They benefitted from an exposure to hydroponics technology as well as a first-hand look at the operation and its potential.
