182 sets of shadehouse materials sold so far for 2021 by NAREI

as gov’t continues to promote smart agriculture
As climate change continues to pose a major risk to the global agriculture sector, the Guyana
government through the Agriculture ministry as part of its 2020 emergency budget, had allocated
funds for the procurement of shadehouse materials in an effort to promote smart agriculture in
Guyana.
$15.8M was allocated to the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) to
promote this initiative. nWhile presenting the 2020 budget, Public Works Minister, Bishop Juan
Edghill disclosed that the government was working to provide some amount of relief to farmers
whose income were reduced significantly due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He said that the
$15,8M would be allocated for the acquisition of shadehouse materials and sprinkler hoses.
Those materials, Minister Bishop explained, would be sold to farmers at a cost price, saving
farmers over 33 percent. He said that the monies from the initial investment would be utilized as
a revolving fund for future purchases for required materials for farmers.

Giving an update on the response of the initiative, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha noted
that many farmers have since expressed their interest in purchasing the materials. “The
programme is going well. For the year, NAREI was able to sell 182 sets of shadehouse materials
to farmers across the country. The ministry has also made some of those materials available to
community farmers’ groups and vulnerable women farmers’ groups across the country. The
response has been tremendous so far from farmers both on the coast and in interior locations.
After seeing the devastating effects of this last rainy season, farmers are becoming more aware of
the impacts of climate change on the agriculture sector and with the support of the government,
they’ve been making the necessary adjustments like with the establishment of shadehouses,”
Mustapha said.
He referenced a United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
report, which noted that climate change is likely to have potentially negative impacts on the
viability of agriculture. This will thereby affect human health both directly and indirectly,
through food unavailability and food insecurity, and ultimately the economic viability of many
countries worldwide. The agriculture minister said that the report also sighted the impacts that
the 2005-2006 flood had on Guyana’s agriculture sector, with other crops such as fruits,
vegetables, and tubers experiencing an estimated loss of US$ 7.8 million.
He said that taking into account the effects the more recent flood has had on all of Guyana’s
productive sectors, his ministry continues to promote smart agriculture practices in farming
communities across the country. He said that with both coastal and hinterland agriculture
severely affected, more farmers have begun constructing shadehouses to help combat the impacts
of climate change on their crops. Minister Mustapha during a trip to Region Nine, over the
weekend, visited a shadehouse set up by a group of teachers from the Maruranau Primary and
Secondary School.n

Lloyd Ritchie, the teacher in charge of spearheading the project, noted that the project was being
done under the guidance of the regional agriculture officers. “The Kanuku Mountains
Community Representative Group provided us with the plastic and the mesh to set up the
shadehouse for the school. The ministry also promised us some seedlings and seeds. By the end
of the month, the shadehouse will be ready and we will start putting in the seedlings and so. The
agriculture coordinator has helped us with setting up the beds so when we get the seeds and
seedlings we’ll be ready to go on to the next step,” Ritchie disclosed.
The agriculture minister congratulated the teachers for their efforts and said that the ministry will
continue to offer support to farmers and groups interested in setting up shadehouses across the
country. He also said that if farmers in the hinterland or outlying areas were desirous of
purchasing the materials to set up shadehouses, they could liaise with their regional agriculture
extension officer. He added that this officer would facilitate getting the materials to them.