Minister discusses proposal for challenges in Guyana’s agriculture sector during LAC Roundtable

Agriculture Ministers from Latin America and the Caribbean, and other senior officials from the World Bank participated in a virtual roundtable to discuss re-imagining agriculture in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).  

The officials highlighted strategies and proposed means of advancing agriculture in their countries.  

During his presentation, Agriculture Minister, Hon. Zulfikar Mustapha said climate change and infrastructure are two of the most challenging issues in the local sector.

“Climate change is a rising issue that has had many adverse effects on the global environment, particularly in Guyana. Flood risk in Guyana emanates from three different sources, namely excessive rainfall, inadequate drainage infrastructure, and inadequate water resource management.

As it relates to infrastructure, long-term and strategic investments in infrastructure are required to make the agriculture production and distribution processes more efficient, viable, and sustainable. Without key investments in infrastructure, service delivery may not be able to take place at the desired pace. This is why, since taking office, government has made significant investments to develop our drainage and irrigation infrastructure,” he said.

The Minister also cited Guyana’s inability to rapidly adapt to new technologies being used in agriculture around the world as a major challenge that contributes to it losing its competitive advantage in the global market.

The Government has taken note of the challenges, and has proposed several actions to improve it.  Minister Mustapha explained that this includes ensuring all aspects of the food system are addressed, taking into account various trends and disruptors such as climate change and supply-side changes like food loss and waste.

“Guyana is undertaking initiatives to develop resilient infrastructures. This is needed to ensure the continued functionality of sustainable food systems considering the effects of climate change, and also to mitigate the impacts of health-related pandemics on the agriculture sector.

Further development of drainage and irrigation structures will help farmers to increase and stabilize yields, improve resilience in the face of climate change, and safeguard food and nutrition security for rural families. When this Government took office, most of the drainage and irrigation structures were in a dilapidated state. Our first emergency budget catered for the rehabilitation of most of these structures,” he said.

The Minister also noted that the Government recognises the importance of an efficient drainage and irrigation system and the significant impact it has on the agriculture sector.

“More than half of this year’s budgetary allocation for the agriculture sector is dedicated to improving the country’s drainage and irrigation system. Furthermore, with the adverse effect that climate change has on our agriculture sector, Guyana is beginning to incorporate climate-smart agriculture policies into farming practices.

One such area that Guyana has been exploring is the implementation of crops that are climate-change resilient,” Minister Mustapha said.

He also said any proposed action identified should also allow for innovative solutions to be strategically implemented, and at the same time, for adaptability to changes in the future. Such proposed actions, he said, will aid in the food system being more sustainable and climate-resilient.

Minister Mustapha also said it was important for governments across the Region to invest in climate monitoring. He stressed the importance of ensuring policymakers assess and strengthen response systems across the region.

“Farmers and all relevant users of climate-related data need to be provided with the information required to effectively plan and respond to variations in climate intensity, frequency, and the location of extreme weather and climate events.

A key policy that is guiding Guyana’s approach to achieving a sustainable and climate-resilient food system is the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). The LCDS seeks to create a low deforestation, low carbon, and climate-resilient economy with the objective of transforming the economy while combating climate change,” Minister Mustapha said.

COVID-19 and strengthening Guyana’s defences against food-borne and zoonotic diseases

The current global pandemic has exposed how food production, processing and transportation and consumption can be impacted by infectious diseases.

As such, Guyana has since taken steps to ensure preventative measures against infectious diseases at the human, animal, and ecosystem interfaces are established.

COVID-19 has also increased the need and use of information and digital technologies.

In his address, Minister Mustapha also said that the sector is somewhat reliant on information technology (IT) to keep critical operations and projects running effectively. He also said the Government would be directing resources to improve technological access to farmers and farming communities in remote regions of the country.

“IT has enabled people to quickly share information during the crises, heeding the social restrictions that have been imposed since everything from the supply chain to human resources have been affected by the virus.

This policy action can be tailored to Guyana to facilitate access to technological devices, internet connections, and capacity building to farmers who are currently at a disadvantage due to their inability to access the aforementioned items. Particular focus will be placed in remote areas where this phenomenon is more prominent to facilitate ease in relaying agriculture data and information,” Minister Mustapha said.

Guyana has made a notable comeback as it relates to taking the lead on agriculture in the Caribbean. The country is once again being viewed as an agriculture powerhouse in CARICOM and since taking office, President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali and other senior Ministers of Government have been lobbying for support to develop the sector at different fora.   During the last CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting, President Ali presented, ‘The Food Production and Food Security Agenda’, which was later adopted by CARICOM. A Ministerial Taskforce, comprising Ministers of Agriculture from 10 participating CARICOM states, along with other key officials, was later formed to advance the agenda. That taskforce is being chaired by Minister Mustapha and Guyana is once again the lead country for agriculture in CARICOM.