Specialized training for UG, GSA students at Ebini Research Station

− training will commence next year when rehabilitation of research station is completed 

DPI, Guyana, Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Students from the University of Guyana (UG) and Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) will soon commence specialized training at the Ebini Research Station.

The initiative is part of the Ministry of Agriculture’s plans to have a tertiary training facility and accommodation available for both students from UG and GSA.

Head of the Agricultural Sector Development Unit (ASDU), George Jarvis told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that the aim is to train the students about agriculture, in the Intermediate Savannah, for the sustainable development of the production systems.

“The intention is to have it [Ebini Research Station] developed in such a way to have tertiary education being offered here for UG and GSA students. That training facility will be completed sometime in next year and we’ll be having the specialised training for GSA and UG students from as early as the next semester,” Jarvis explained.

Through an Inter-American Development Bank funded $3.2B Sustainable Agriculture Development Project (SADP), the ministry has already commenced rehabilitation of the offices, work areas, preparation facilities and accommodation at the Ebini Research Station.

Jarvis noted that it is crucial that students be able to learn separation of the germplasm to ensure they remain clean and pure and to ensure that there is a repository at the station for germplasm, coconuts, avocado and several other important species.

He added that it is paramount that residents along the Berbice river are afforded the opportunity to gain employment and to learn modern agricultural techniques to improve their lives and livelihoods.

“Here, you have the opportunity for us to develop Region Ten as the supplier of food for those regions that don’t enjoy the same kind of soil among other things. The Ebini Research Station is not only to research new things but also test existing varieties and genetic material for both crops and livestock species. We will also be able to advise farmers and supply them with breeding materials for both crops and livestock so that they can supply food to Regions Ten, Nine and Seven.”

The training will be a continuous process. Through government-to-government collaboration, the ministry will rely on the invaluable and vast experience available in Brazil, for the management of the Savannah’s ecosystem.

Ranetta La Fleur.

Image: Karime Peters.