FAO promotes a National Learning Route to strengthen Guyana's family farming sector

With the theme "Moving up the value chain! Moving the entrepreneurial and associative capacities of farmer organizations", the National Learning Route was launched on Monday, May 15. This activity is part of the Farmers' Organizations for ACP Project, financed by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and implemented by FAO and PROCASUR.

The opening ceremony was attended by Mr. George Jervis, Chief Technical Officer from the Ministry of Agriculture, who explained that family farming has always had a long history in Guyana and explained the important role that farmers’ organizations play in the value chain.

Country Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Guyana Office, Dr. Gillian Smith, who was also in attendance, urged the farmers’ organizations to make the most of their time during the Learning Route, describing the experience as an innovative way of driving capacity building and knowledge sharing through live field engagement and demonstrations.

Mr. Timothy McIntosh, Liaison Consultant representing IFAD in Guyana, noted IFAD’s pleasure to support initiatives like the Learning Route globally and was happy to see the methodology returning to Guyana but this time in the context of family farming.  

The Learning Route will allow knowledge sharing of good practices and solutions in the field with the hope that these can be replicated in the individual contexts of each organization participating, explained Maria José Araya, the representative of Procasur.

The Procasur representative indicated that a previous mapping exercise of the organizations identified priorities and knowledge needs to guide the program's activities, including the Learning Route.

The Learning Route will take place until Friday, May 19, to improve the associative and entrepreneurial capacities of the country's family farmers. It will also provide an opportunity to strengthen some of the country's farmer organizations' associative, managerial, and operational capabilities.

Eleven (11) representatives from eight (8) Farmers' Organizations will participate in an ongoing process that will take place directly in the field over the next five days, to expand and diversify technical advisory services in the area, including and valuing the best experiences and expertise of the country's organizations, enterprises and Rural Champions.

In Guyana, the participants will be visiting two host case studies, namely Pomeroon Rose and the Central Mahaicony Perth Village Farmers Association who will share their experiences and best practices in rural enterprise development with six other farmer organizations in the country: Gibraltar/Fyrish Farmers Association, Berbice Sheep and Goat Farmers Association, Mocha Arcadia Multipurpose Agricultural Cooperative, Pomeroon Export Producers Association, Pomeroon Bee Keepers Association, Women Agro-processors Development Network - part of the Caribbean Network of Rural Women Producers.