Teachers being trained to promote sustainable agriculture in schools

Underscoring the need for sustainable agriculture to start at the school level, the Agriculture Ministry through the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) is trying to get schools involved in new agricultural practices.
One of the activities planned in observance of Agriculture Month 2024 is the training of agriculture teachers in secondary schools. In Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), this is being done through a collaborative effort by the Regional Education Department and the regional arm of NAREI.
The aim is to impart new concepts on important aspects of agriculture as it pertains to the school garden system and other critical agricultural systems for the region.

Training Manager for NAREI, Warren Barlow said the institute is hoping that agriculture teachers are better equipped to understand new concepts like vertical gardening which is the utilisation of small spaces and recyclable utensils for school gardening.

“In one of the examples I gave, I would have alluded to the possibilities of utilising small spaces and the kind of revenue that the school can generate. I think that is critical and it is in conjunction with promoting sustainable agriculture across the country.”
This year, Agriculture Month is being observed under the theme “Transforming Tomorrow: Championing Food Security through Innovation and Technology.” This highlights the need for sustainable practices and technological advancements to secure the future of agriculture.
Barlow said it is hoped that schools will adapt to the new practices and it is likely to enhance what schools have been doing.
“Because we are also promoting polyculture; polyculture is where we do a mixed cropping system. So, that will be excellent for the region. We are not just looking at the traditional system but we are incorporating more technological and advanced systems to complement it and by utilising little spaces we will be able to rake in more revenue. I think the impact will be great in terms of the production possibilities and the children will be able to learn the new technologies utilising small and recyclable things to grow their crops,” the training manager explained.
Meanwhile, some teachers highlighted physical infrastructural issues that have negatively impacted their school garden.
“Things like fencing – inadequate fencing; they would have complained that stray animals would destroy their crops. One of the issues they highlighted was the construction of the shade houses. They found that in some cases the shade house does not allow for enough ventilation. These are a few issues that the teachers would have raised,” Barlow added. (G4)