Regional farmers to be educated on better water management practices

In alignment with the region’s food security goals, emphasis has been placed on the importance of Caribbean farmers being educated and trained to improve the sustainability of their farms by utilising modern water management practices.
On Friday, the CARICOM Secretariat in collaboration with the Caribbean Water and Waste Water Association (CWWA) hosted a webinar under the theme – ‘Exploring Sustainable Water Management Practices in the Caribbean – An Agriculture and Food Security Perspective’.

The Food for Lunch Webinar series is one of the activities organised by the CARICOM Secretariat as part of the Region’s food security initiative. It focuses on sustainable agriculture and food and nutrition security in CARICOM, and features young ‘agri-preneurs’, the private sector, experts, and policymakers.
During a panel discussion, representative Denecia West, from the Agriculture Alliance of the Caribbean (AAC), highlighted that in some areas, farmers are often faced with significant challenges due to a lack of potable water systems. She highlighted that these individuals often depend on the Government to develop water infrastructure within these areas.
However, she explained that these water challenges can be mitigated by educating farmers on ways in which they can manage their own water systems.
“Some persons find it cost prohibitive to set up the infrastructure. So, there’s a heavy reliance on Government to help persons to help themselves when it comes to access to water. More can be done to educate persons in the Caribbean about how to manage their own water systems. More can be done to help them to access financing so they mitigate these issues with water challenges in the Caribbean,” she said.
Most farmers in the region utilise a method known as “Rainwater farming” which refers to the practice of rainwater harvesting, where residents capture and store rainwater from roofs and other surfaces to use for irrigation in agriculture; primarily on islands where water scarcity is a concern, particularly during dry seasons. This method has been used in the Caribbean for centuries and is considered a key strategy for water security in the region.
However, in light of climate change, stakeholders in the agriculture sector and Government officials are being compelled to improve water infrastructure to mitigate the impacts of climate shocks.
Also weighing in on the issue of water infrastructure in the Caribbean was Deputy Dean and Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Food and Agriculture, University of the West Indies (UWI) Dr Ronald Roopnarine.
He highlighted that the layout of the agriculture sector across member states is one of the major factors affecting investments towards improving the region’s water infrastructure.
“We don’t necessarily have established agricultural districts. If you had something like that, it would be much easier for Governments, and the state itself, to put the infrastructure in place to get water to those specific areas. However, as it stands, you have patches of agricultural districts all over and that kind of makes it very difficult for infrastructural development to be put in place to support this,” Dr Roopnarine explained.
Recognising this issue is Hydrologist at the Guyana Water Inc (GWI) Angela Franklin, who highlighted that the Guyana Government has made significant strides towards strengthening water management in the country.
She noted that the country has developed agriculture zones in some areas, which is supported by advanced water management systems.
“I’ll give a positive example of Guyana: we have a cluster of lands used specifically for agriculture so it’s not spread out; yes we do have agriculture all over, but in this particular area it’s predominantly agriculture, and we actually have conservancies, dammed areas that were designed specifically for flood management as well as for providing irrigation waters for our agricultural areas,” she outlined.
Guyana has several water conservancies that provide water for agriculture, including the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC), Mahaica Mahaicony Abary, Boerasirie, and Tapakuma.
The conservancies are located in the “backlands” or upper stream catchment areas, and comprise of water-retaining embankments and structures.
The reservoirs are located in several regions: Tapakuma Conservancy (Essequibo Coast, Region 2), Boerasirie (West Demerara, Region 3), East Demerara (Region 4), and the MMA (Region 5). Tapakuma provides irrigation to approximately 120 square kilometres (km²) Boerasirie to 360 km², East Demerara to 345 km², and MMA to 175 km².