Guyanese farmers benefit from FAO, PROCASUR technical and financial support

Aug 30, 2023 News

Kaieteur News – The FO4ACP programme, which focuses on empowering Farmers’ Organizations to participate in sustainable food value chains effectively, continues to progress well under the partnership of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and PROCASUR.

From August 7 to 14, the partnering team engaged some sixty (60) farmers from eight Farmers’ Organizations (FOs) in six Regions of Guyana to build functional and operational capacities to improve the quality of services they provide.

This exercise is a continuation from last May when the team visited these FOs following a National Learning Route under the theme “Come up in the Value Chain.” During those visits, each organization was tasked with developing a short term Innovation Plan that will enable them to increase their associative and entrepreneurial capacities.

Representatives from Gibraltor /Fryish Farmers’ Association with key stakeholders and FAO/ PROCASUR facilitators

Representatives from West Berbice Sheep and Goat Association with FAO and PROCASUR facilitators.

To support the implementation of these innovative plans, FAO and PROCASUR convened a nine (9) day technical mission to connect the Innovation Plans with a medium-term Organizational Development Plan that will receive technical and financial support from the FO4ACP programme.

These development plans, which have been individually tailored based on each organisation’s unique circumstance, geography, and needs, will focus on a number of areas, including business development, marketing, good governance practices, and production enhancements.

The FOs who benefited from this exercise were; the Central Mahaicony Perth Village Farmers Association in Region 5; West Berbice Sheep and Goat Farmers Association in Region 5; Pomeroon Beekeepers Association in Region 2; Pomeroon Export Producers Association in Region 2; Gibraltar/Fyrish Farmers Association in Region 6; Mocha Arcadia Multipurpose Agriculture Cooperative in Region 4; Medicine from Trees in Region 9 and Blue Flame Women’s Group in Region 1.

The FO4ACP project is funded by the European Commission through The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and is implemented across Regional Latin America and seven Caribbean countries, including Guyana.

• financial, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), National Learning Route, Pomeroon Beekeepers Association, programme