US$4.5M agricultural project proposed for hinterland

The Guyana government is seeking financial support from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to implement a US$4.5 million five-year development project to improve the living conditions and reduce poverty among the hinterland population, particularly Amerindians.

The design of the project is similar to the ongoing US$6 million Rural Enterprise Agricultural Development (READ) project, and has a long-term goal to ensure economic development in the hinterland equals that in other rural regions of the country. Guyana has already submitted its project request to IFAD, and reports suggest that IFAD’s executive board will deliberate on the proposal within the next three months.

The project proposes implementation in the four main hinterland Regions: One, Seven, Eight and Nine, which have a total population of about 71,000 persons, 90 per cent of whom are Amerindians. Rural poor Amerindian men and women, living in groups or individually in the four regions, are identified as the potential beneficiaries of this project. Currently, these residents are involved in subsistence agriculture, mining, small-scale industry, construction and services.

The project would specifically focus on women and youths, to ensure equity, create employment, and reduce the need for residents to leave the hinterland. Relocation of Amerindian and other women and youths from hinterland villages to seek employment on the coastland is an issue of concern to the administration, because it is believed to lead to exploitation and mistreatment of hinterland residents in some cases.

It is estimated that some 3,200 families, or about 60 per cent of the total target group, would benefit from phase one of the proposed project.

The project is designed with three main components: human and social capital-building, income and food security improvement, and knowledge acquisition and management. The first component seeks to build up organisational capacity of local entities such as village councils, improve performance of community- based organisations in planning and implementing developmental activities, and boost the community’s educational and cultural development. Through a proposed Social Investment Fund, the project would transfer resources to villages to assist in financing small community projects.

The second component would support development of the targeted communities by improving their agricultural production systems, enhancing their food security, and creating greater access to markets.

Diversifying the existing cassava-based production systems, enriching the diet of these people, encouraging sustainable use of forest and other natural resources, as well as increased access to the existing indigenous knowledge base on production, processing and marketing practices are some of the planned activities. Again, there would be a fund to provide resources for farmers and organisations that require assistance in creating or expanding income- generating small projects.

Additionally, the final component seeks to facilitate acquisition of relevant information and development of knowledge among groups of project beneficiaries, thus stimulating the creativity and local capacity to innovate as a precondition for sustainable development. It would also develop better approaches, methods, and general knowledge about how to design and implement rural development programmes and projects for Amerindians and other ethnic groups.

Overall, the project could create the opportunity for a long- term engagement, in which the government and Amerindian institutions work together to make sustainable development possible for rural poor people. Focus would predominantly be on seven indigenous peoples of Regions One, Seven, Eight and Nine, who are considered vulnerable and have some of the lowest per capita income figures in the country.

Moreso, the project would identify production and income-generating opportunities, and carry out pilot projects to prove their feasibility to become sustainable sources of income and employment.

Currently, IFAD is helping to fund READ, which has similar components and developmental activities for farmers and groups in coastal areas of Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six and 10. Recently, a Gy$220 million Small Farmer Groups’ facility was launched under READ, enabling small groups of producers and agro-processors to access up to Gy$4 million in grants and loans to expand or explore non- traditional agricultural development.

READ follows another IFAD-funded project that ended in 2006, the Poor Rural Communities Support Services Project (PRCSSP), which was carried out successfully in the coastland areas, helping to create infrastructure, farming production systems, and build the capacity of farmers, agro- processors, and others key players.