On Wednesday, August 17, the Farmers’ Organizations for Africa, Caribbean, and Pacific Programme (FO4ACP) brought together representatives from farmers’ groups, government institutions and other stakeholders at a National Stakeholder Workshop aimed at strengthening the capacity to promote sustainable family farming.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Procasur Corporation organized the workshop. The objective was to open a space for dialogue among producers and their governmental and non-governmental partners to interface and discuss challenges faced by small-scale farmers and identify common solutions to improve the quality of the family farming sector in Guyana.
George Jervis, Chief Technical Officer of the Ministry of Agriculture, delivered remarks on behalf of his Ministry and emphasized support for the FO4ACP initiative to their transformative agenda for agriculture.
“It aligns with the government’s plans to help farmers grow more and be better connected to markets, thus earning more, and living better; the Guyanese government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, is working with people who need specific support and farmers who need to expand and diversify their production through investments. As Guyana continues to evolve as a culture of innovation within the Region, we are implementing the agri-food system strategy for transformation…with special consideration for target groups such as micro, small, and medium enterprises, family farming cooperatives, and women and youth,” said Jervis.
It was also noted that participants had the opportunity to identify and discuss challenges small-scale farmers face in the country and outline potential solutions and opportunities that exist to solve these binding constraints.
Through this FO4ACP Programme, this news agency understands that local government agencies, and stakeholders, can advance appropriate technology, increase access to new markets, strengthen alliances among farmers’ organizations and enhance leadership. With this in mind, implementation of training programmes tailored to the needs of the farmers’ groups will be the next action.
Dr. Gillian Smith, FAO Representative in Guyana, highlighted that “agriculture, in particular, has been identified as one of the productive sectors that is key to the sustainable development, and sustainable expansion of Guyana’s economy.”
The representatives from the Farmers’ Organizations agreed on the next steps for the FO4ACP activities in Guyana, considering the importance of adjusting the concept of Family Farming to the country’s reality, while building capacity in the organizations to develop their businesses and institutional portfolio.
In the Caribbean, the FO4ACP Programme is implemented by the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, Corporación PROCASUR, and Agricord. In addition to Guyana, the Programme is implemented in Belize, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Jamaica, Haiti, and St. Lucia. Funding is provided by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), together with the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
