Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha joined President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali on Friday for the launch of a community shadehouse programme at the One Guyana kitchen on Main Street.
Over the coming months, fifty 30-by-20-foot shade houses will be established within the Tiger Bay, Kingston and Cummingsburg area. They will all be managed by women, particularly single women.
The ambitious agriculture project designed to put money into the pockets of more Guyanese and will be supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development in close partnership with the private sector.
President Ali reiterated that the undertaking is about more than short-term assistance.
He said the project was crafted to create sustainable income, skills, and confidence within communities in keeping with the government’s commitment to creating more economic opportunities for every single Guyanese.
He informed the women that, on average, they can earn approximately $1 million with a six-crop cycle.
The Tiger Bay shade house project is being rolled out alongside similar initiatives in other areas, including Yarrowkabra, where another 50 homes will be established using the same model.
Minister Mustapha explained that the project shows how agriculture can be fused into the daily lives of working people, including professionals.
He said this unique approach to farming is changing perceptions about agriculture and encouraging greater participation by women and young people.
The beneficiaries will be supported by technical officers from the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), which comes under the purview of the Ministry of Agriculture. (Source: Ministry of Agriculture-Guyana)
