AS the soft grey light filtered through the tree canopy in St. Cuthbert’s Mission located along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, one would not know that a thriving poultry farm was located behind a cottage. The only sign of its existence was the newly constructed pen.

The owner, Indira Simon recently sat down with this publication to share her experience as a female farmer, a woman of confidence and grit as strong as steel. Her eyes brightened as she related her path to success.

For Simon, now 50 and a mother of two grown daughters, poultry farming is more than a livelihood — it is a testament to resilience, faith, and ingenuity.

FROM 150 BROILERS TO A THRIVING BUSINESS

Her journey began in 2001 with a modest investment of 150 broiler chicks and no formal training. “I knew little about poultry production, but I wanted to earn a little extra to support my family.”

The profits from her first batch were encouraging, sparking dreams of expansion. Yet as her flock grew, so too did the challenges. Then came the floods of 2005 — the kind of disaster that leaves scares and reshapes ambition.

“During the 2005 floods, I had 450 broilers,” she recalled softly. “Within a flash, I saw my investment washed away. I was heartbroken. I lost everything — the birds, the pens. But I didn’t give up.”

Like the Mahaica River that runs alongside her community, Simon’s spirit has always found a way to keep flowing.

BUILDING BACK SMARTER

By 2007, she was back in production, this time more determined to improve her methods. Still, recurring losses forced her to reach out to the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) for technical support. That decision, she says, changed everything.

“With GLDA’s guidance, I redesigned my pens. Instead of the old V-shaped zinc roof, I now use the offset gable design, what we call the ‘Policeman Cap.’ With zinc sheets and the white plastic covering, the inside stays cooler, and my birds are healthier.”

She also tackled the problems of waterlogging and moisture that once killed her birds, sealing the pen’s foundation with construction plastic and adopting strict sanitation and biosecurity protocols. The results were immediate: fewer losses, healthier birds, and greater confidence.

“The extension officers, Dr. Nauth, Mr. Bhagwandin, and Mr. Hercules  were a lifeline,” Simon said. “They don’t just give advice; they walk with you. We need more of their visits in rural communities like ours.”

DUCKS, EGGS, TRADITIONAL FOODS

Simon didn’t stop at broilers. Today, her small farm has more than 200 Muscovy ducks, which she hatches using traditional brooding methods. She also keeps layers that produce eggs for both family consumption and the market.

“I am proud of my ducks,” she said with a smile. “They are mostly grass-fed, and we avoid too many antibiotics. We produce food that we ourselves eat; safe and natural.”

Beyond poultry, Simon leans into her Indigenous heritage by producing quinches, cassareep, cassava bread, and piwari wine. These products are currently made in small batches, but she dreams of upgrading packaging and labelling so they can one day sit on supermarket shelves.

Her farm now carries an official name — Sky Poultry Farm — chosen in honor of her granddaughter. “This is my way of empowering her,” Simon said proudly. “I want her to grow up educated, independent, and entrepreneurial.”

CHALLENGES ON THE ROAD TO GROWTH

Like most small farmers in Guyana’s hinterland, Simon continues to battle two persistent hurdles: financing and transportation.

Securing credit has been especially difficult. She recalled a frustrating encounter at a commercial bank. “I went to negotiate a loan to expand, even though I have my account there. But the paperwork wasn’t friendly for a small farmer like me. I walked away with no support.”

That is why she welcomes the government’s recent announcement of an Agricultural Development Bank. “It gives hope to farmers like us who need access to capital but can’t manage the barriers of the traditional system,” she said.

Transportation costs, particularly for feed bought along the East Bank of Demerara, also eat into her profits. “The road network has improved, and that helps, but the cost of getting feed here is still high. It makes us less competitive, but we won’t give up.”

A FARMER’S LEGACY

Looking back on more than two decades of farming, Simon’s journey is one of hardship, learning, and perseverance. From floods that swept away everything to the careful rebuilding of her pens, she has weathered storms, both literal and figurative, and has managed to come out stronger.

“I want people to know that despite the challenges, farming is a good life,” she said, her hands resting on the wooden gate of her duck pen. “It teaches you patience, discipline, and pride in what you produce. And most of all, it gives you independence.”

For the people of St. Cuthbert’s Mission, Simon’s Sky Poultry Farm stands as more than a business. Today Ms. Simon has more than three production pens with a total capacity of 2, 000 birds. 

It is a symbol of what happens when resilience meets opportunity, and a reminder that even in the most rural corners of Guyana, women are shaping the future of agriculture one brood, one duck, and one dream at a time.