$50M ‘Green Farm’ initiative to renew interest in home, school gardening

The ‘Green Farm’ project initiative, which is being implemented by the Guyana Association of Municipalities  (GAM), is expected to renew interest in home and school gardening, while promoting a Green Economy through agriculture, with the aim of achieving food security across the 10 administrative regions, poverty reduction and rural development.
According to information from the project’s concept document, prepared by GAM President and outgoing Linden Mayor Carwyn Holland, interest in home and school gardening has been on a decline and with the introduction of the ‘Green Farm’ project, this is expected to be arrested.
GAM is currently partnering with the Ministry of the Presidency – Department of Environment; the Ministries of Public Health, Communities, Agriculture, Education; the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI); Regional Democratic Councils and the Private Sector, among others, to undertake the initiative, which will be implemented over the period February 2018  to February 2021.
It has a budget of $50 million. Apart from reigniting the love for domestic and commercial farming in communities as a means of promoting a Green Economy through agriculture, the Green Farm project also aims at achieving food security, through domestic and commercial farming. Its other goals include championing  the cause of Guyana’s agriculture by embracing home-grown organic produce, promoting farming interests, reducing poverty, improving the health of Guyanese by reducing consumption of inorganic foods and reviving agricultural education and practice in schools.
Under the initiative, schools across Guyana will be encouraged to start or resuscitate farms and develop designated agriculture streams to gear children towards a career in agriculture or to simply express a greater love and appreciation for domestic farming.
Residents will also be challenged to contribute to the initiative by way of kitchen gardens and biogas systems across constituencies, and rewards will be offered through a competitive process with winners being awarded.
The concept document outlines that agriculture is the basis of economic development and according to the sector’s performance, it could contribute significantly to the nation’s green growth. “…while the national trajectory takes aim at a green pathway, there is still a dire need for the ordinary citizens to get on board with this development,” it states.