GCCI’s agriculture project empowers women, youth farmers to build stronger agri-businesses

Over the past several years, Guyana’s agricultural sector has been strengthened by equipping farmers, particularly women and young people, with the knowledge, skills, and valuable networking opportunities needed to expand their operations and adopt more modern, business-focused farming practices. The ‘Market Actor and Donor Project’ was implemented by the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) in partnership with the World University Service of Canada (WUSC), with funding from Global Affairs Canada. The initiative also benefited from the collaboration of several local organisations and agencies committed to advancing sustainable agriculture. To mark the completion of the programme, stakeholders gathered for a close-out engagement on July 7, 2026, at the GCCI Secretariat. The event celebrated the project’s achievements and its contribution to empowering farmers and strengthening Guyana’s agricultural value chain.

Secretary of the GCCI and Chairperson of the Agriculture Committee, Brian Edwards, who leads these efforts, noted that the conclusion of this programme does not signal the end of efforts to propel agriculture, but it is proof of the viability of collaborative initiatives. “We’re not just marking the end of a project; we are celebrating the way forward for how we do business in Guyana in agriculture. Guyana Agriculture Connect was born out of a critical necessity, the need to bridge the gap between tradition and the modern market. We realised for our agriculture sector to truly thrive, we needed to move away from isolation, silos, and short-term fixes, and instead build cohesive ecosystems,” he stated.
He described the collaboration as a dynamic bridge geared towards strengthening relationships between producers, buyers, service providers, financial institutions, and supporting organisations. He highlighted, “It was designed to improve farming with access to high-quality input, technical knowledge, climate-smart agriculture practices, market information, and business development services. In short, we wanted to ensure SME (small and medium-sized) farmers, women, youth, and historically unserved groups finally had a seat at the table and could participate effectively.” The success and impact of the project, he underscored, is a testament to the fierce commitment to the development of local farmers. Recognising the role played by all of the programme’s partners, Edwards said, “We want to acknowledge and sincerely thank the Ministry of Agriculture and the Minister of Agriculture, our private sector partners, development partners and producer organisations. Your collaboration has been the bedrock of these shared goals. While this specific WUSC Project is officially coming to a close, let me be very clear: this is not the end. The relationships, the knowledge and the robust market systems we have established together will continue to benefit the Guyanese agriculture sector for years to come.” Moreover, President of the GCCI, Kathy Smith, explained the extent to which this programme supported the GCCI’s goals for the development of the agriculture sector. “Brian has been doing tremendous work in the field of agriculture and agro-processing in all 10 administrative regions. We are empowering women across these regions, from Region One to Ten… and we have now started to see this project as phase one.”

She disclosed that in furtherance of the work by the Chamber in this regard, the GCCI has partnered with the Government of Guyana to provide 100 women in agriculture with shade houses. In addition, Caribbean Director of WUSC, Doug Graham, extended his appreciation to the partners and said that the collaboration with the GCCI and partners has been rewarding. “It’s been a really important partnership that’s evolved and grown to the point where we’re redundant, which is fantastic. Without these partnerships, both private sector and Government, some other development agencies, or even groups of farmers, farmer groups and producer groups, without that collaborative effort, the project would not have achieved what it set out to achieve.” Further, Head of Cooperation at the High Commission of Canada to Guyana and Suriname, Adam Loyer, noted that the Sustainable Agriculture in the Caribbean (SAC) Project was a CAD$20 million Canadian project implemented in the Caribbean region.
“The goal was to build equitable prosperity, especially for women and youth producers… as mentioned by previous speakers, through the project’s inclusive market systems approach, the project was able to catalyse the bringing together of many organisations,” he stated. He added that beyond simply facilitating producers to attend training, they are now actively able to shape their economic futures; the shift is from simple participation to one of true agency.
Furthermore, he disclosed, “As Head of Cooperation, I’m pleased to have heard that Guyana emerged as one of the strongest-performing SAC countries. Participants reported some of the largest increases in income, which is very important, with average annual net income nearly doubling from baseline levels when they remeasured partway through the project. So perhaps those increases are even higher now. The project also reported one of the highest rates of climate-smart agriculture adoption.” The GCCI is proud of the success of this project and intends to advance these initiatives to ensure that the agriculture sector is inclusive and that all demographics are able to thrive.