Amerindian villages reaping benefits of carbon credit funds – councillors

…several projects commissioned in Region 9

Several projects were commissioned in the villages of Quiko and St Ignatius, Region Nine, (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) earlier in the week.
Quiko, a small village located in the South Central Rupununi, can now embark on large-scale cash crop production, following the commissioning of a $9 million four-acre savannah farm.
The funding the project was made available through the sale of Guyana’s carbon credit under the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS 2030).
The farm is expected to allow villagers to cultivate crops such as sweet peppers, bora, eschallot, and watermelon, among other varieties of crops to supply government’s hot meal programmes, which caters for the Rodeo Arena, a Youth Document Centre, the Women’s Sewing Centre and Catering Kitchen.
Quiko’s Senior Councillor, Ronald Ignatius said the initiative was conceived holistically by the community, recognising the importance of food safety and food security and financial stability.
He noted that while income generation is an important factor, creating employment opportunities for residents is another crucial element of the project.
“Our main crop is cash crops as you can look around. We have eschalot…those crops that are cash crops to supply hot meals, private entities that do catering and so (on)… We are creating job opportunities (by) having this large farm. We decided to employ persons in the community that have children attending secondary schools in order to have an income at the end of the day (and) other young people to have a knowledge of this farming (techniques),” the senior councillor said.

St Ignatius
Meanwhile, over $20 million worth in projects were also commissioned in the Amerindian village of St Ignatius, Region Nine.
These include a Farine factory to boost the local economy and provide jobs and an extended hot meal kitchen, that will ensure primary school children receive the nutrition they need.
Another kitchen to facilitate catering services by women in the village was also commissioned.
During her address to villagers of St Ignatius, Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai assured that the government will continue to support the development of Amerindian communities through policy and funding.
“For the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs we continue to be funded, we will be providing presidential grants, we will be providing support under the capital projects – for projects that we would have received from the leadership of your communities across the length and breath of this country. The prioritisation of those will take place and then we will be able to proportionately support projects in various villages,” the minister said.

Carbon Credits
In 2023, the Guyana Government signed a multi-year agreement totaling US $750 million with global energy giant, Hess Corporation, that will see $2.5 million in credits being sold to the company annually.
The first payment of US$150 million was received in 2023 and US$22.5 million was disbursed to over 242 Amerindian, hinterland, rural and riverine communities/villages.
Population size was a key determining factor in government’s methodology for the distribution of money earned from Guyana’s sale of carbon credits, and as result, payments ranged from $10 million to $35 million. (G1)