The amount of pesticides and fertilizers being used at the Santa Fe mega-farm in the Rupununi is troubling because of the impact it could have on the environment and the region’s budding eco-tourism sector, sustainable development advocate Sydney Allicock says.
“We are concerned,” said Allicock, who sits on several boards in the area such as the North Rupu-nuni District Development Board (NRDDB) and who is also a member of parliament as well as a director of the Surama eco-lodge. He said villagers had questioned representatives of the farm, which is operated by the Simpson Group of Companies out of Barbados, at a meeting last year and were told that they should not be fearful because the company was using expert knowledge from Brazil and India.
Since then, Allicock said, they have seen reports where the project was hailed as a success with mention being made that three times the amount of fertilizers and pesticides than on the coast were being used on the farm which borders the wetlands of the north Rupununi. The Government Information Agency (GINA) reported last year that given the soil type,