Land Settlement
State-sponsored land settlement schemes have been central to the post-immigration demographic transition of coastland. Guyana Review reprints this report – first published in the book Building Confidence: The Story of British Guiana in 1954 – that gives a glimpse of land settlement 56 years ago.
The first attempts at land settlement in British Guiana were designed to provide land for freed slave labour and, later, for Indian immigrants in lieu of repatriation. Various areas were laid out in Essequibo, East Bank, Demerara, Berbice and the Corentyne.
The land was usually given freehold but the scheme failed mainly owing to the unsuitability of some of the immigrants who knew little of agriculture and to lack of good administration and organisation. Many of the owners sold or abandoned their land. Later, the areas were formed into village districts, which are now administered by Local Authorities. Other areas, bought up by farmers of Indian and African descent, are now also under the aegis of Local Authorities.
Land Settlement Schemes
Land Settlement Schemes, whereby abandoned sugar and other estates have been acquired by Government for land settlement purposes were, up to June 30 1954, administered by the Commissioner of Local Government and an Advisory Committee and by the Director of Agriculture.
Proposals for setting up a Land Settlement Department have, however, been considered by Government for many years and, in a recent report on the Public Service, Mr Eric Mills dealt with land settlement and strongly recommended that the existing land settlement schemes and government estates administered by the Local Government Department and the Department of Agriculture be withdrawn from their control; that a new Department be created to be styled the Department of Land Settlement administered by a Director; and that this new Department be charged with the responsibility for managing the schemes and estates and any new land settlements established in the future.
In 1954, Mr A Brown, an officer of considerable experience of the famous Gezira Scheme in the Sudan, was sent out by the Colonial Office and submitted a report on land settlement problems in British Guiana. As a result of that report and the previous consideration by Government of the problem, a new Department was set up to take over the responsibility for the management of the existing land settlements and to study and frame definite policies for adoption by Government with respect to land settlement and tenure. This department took over the management of:
● The West Demerara Estates – Windsor Forest, La Jalousie and Hague;
● The Vergenoegen Scheme;
● The Anna Regina and Charity-Amazon Schemes – Essequibo;
● The Cane Grove and La Bonne Mere Land Settlement Scheme
It is proposed to spend $7,000.000 over the next 10 years to establish and stimulate Land Settlement Schemes to satisfy the land hunger that is evident in all parts of the Colony and, at an early stage, to reclaim the riverain lands cultivated centuries ago by Dutch farmers which may be of value for modern dairy farming. The Department is catering for the needs of the small man – to help him to plant the right crops and at the right season and to rotate his crops – that he will so establish himself as to be able to contribute not only to the economic progress of the Colony but also raise and stabilise his own standard of living. Much care is being spent on recruiting technical staff for the Department and much planning is being done so as to effect co-ordination of the staffs of the Departments of Agriculture, of Local Government and Land Settlement.
The West Demerara
Government Estates
Windsor Forest, La Jalousie and Hague comprise 3,927 acres laid out in house and cultivation lots, the former being sold to settlers on easy terms and the latter rented on 99-year leases at a fixed rental of $6.00 per acre per annum. During 1954, a total of 2,035 acres of land was planted with rice which produced 59,456 bags of paddy; 363 acres were cultivated with ground provisions and the dairy farm provided 4,567 gallons of milk which were sold to the Milk Control Board.
The Vergenoegen
Land Settlement Scheme
The land settlement at Vergenoegen comprises four estates – namely, Vergenoegen, Philadelphia, Greenwich Park and Barnwell – with a total acreage of 2, 396 acres. This was subdivided into house lots and cultivation lots and allocated to 200 families. The activities of the settlers include rice farming, cultivation of subsistence crops, including ground provisions, and dairy farming. In 1954, a total of 486 acres was planted for the Spring Crop of padi [paddy] and 1,253 acres for the Autumn crop, yielding a total of 20,594 bags of padi.
The Department maintains a machinery hire pool to supply mechanical equipment for assisting settlers to clear and plough their lands. A total of 179 acres was cultivated under ground provisions and other crops during the year. A rice mill was erected at Vergenoegen during 1948. It has a capacity of 1¼ tons of rice per hour and milled 12,814 bags of padi during 1954 which produced 6,778 bags of rice.
Communal byres for a dairy herd of 52 animals are maintained at Vergenoegen, Philadelphia and Greenwich Park and, complementary to this, are fodder plots of 1/3 acre and an additional 1/3 acre for exercise ground per cow. After the needs of the settlers have been met, the surplus milk is sold to the Milk Control Board. In 1954, 3,863 gallons of milk were shipped to the Board, valued at $2.562.
House lots. House lots of 1/5 acre in size are leased to the settlers for 21 years with the right of renewal for further periods. Under a rural housing scheme which was suspended at the end of 1953, a total of 89 houses had been erected.
The Cane Grove-La Bonne
Mere Land Settlement Scheme
Established on June 11, 1948, the Cane Grove-La Bonne Mere Land Settlement comprises a total area of 7, 233 acres of which 6, 317 acres are occupied for housing, rice and mixed farming. These lands were allotted to 450 families on the same terms and conditions as the lands at Vergenoegen.
During the year, 2,739 acres of rice land had been cultivated for the autumn crop and the yield was 36,630 bags of padi. The acreage under ground provisions is 525 acres. For the year, 546,125 coconuts were picked and 177,169 lbs. of copra were produced from 527,325 nuts.
73 houses have been built by settlers under the Rural Housing Scheme. A school and a head-teacher’s house were built during the year. During the year, 14 communal byres were erected to accommodate 74 cows and their calves, making a total of 29 byres. The clearing, levelling and surveying of a new area for a housing estate was carried out.
The Anna Regina Estates
The Anna Regina Estates were, up to June 30, 1954, administered by the Department of Agriculture. The total acreage involved is 8,747, consisting of 2,633 acres under rice, 860 acres under pasture, 354 acres in house lots, factory compound, etc., 223 acres under sand reef and 1,219 acres in secondary bush.
A rice mill at Anna Regina was handed over to the British Guiana Rice Development Company Limited, and a new modern mill for the estates will be completed during 1955.
There were 825 tenants who rent rice lands and 1,178 head of cattle on the pastures. Plans have been formulated for re-housing the tenants in cottages and an endeavour is being made to base the economy of the estates mainly on the production of rice and milk. Provision has been made in the agriculture lease to enable the rice and pasture areas to be alternated for the maintenance of maximum fertility.
The Charity-Amazon Scheme
A plot of land comprising 170.5 acres on the right bank of the Pomeroon River and known as Charity-Amazon Settlement was established by Government in 1944. The area was laid out into 35 agricultural and 140 house lots. All the agricultural lots are occupied and cultivated chiefly with ground provisions and economic crops. This settlement is capable of useful expansion as the area appears to be increasing in importance.
The New Areas
At the end of 1954, there were five areas, involving a total of some 7,000 acres, under negotiation by the Land Settle-ment Department for early development.
The World Bank Mission, in dealing with the question of land settlement and tenure, had recommended that a comprehensive land settlement programme should be drawn up and that practical information for this purpose should be obtained by establishing pilot scheme projects. These areas are located on the Essequibo Coast; the Essequibo Islands and riverain lands of the Demerara and Berbice Rivers. Offers of additional plots of land have been made to the Land Settlement Department but shortage of staff did not permit of these areas being inspected before the end of the year.
