The Caribbean Local Economic Development project (CARILED), in collaboration with the Ministry of Local and Regional Development and the Mara Farmers’ Association concluded a five-day training workshop for 30 farmers last week at the Mara Community Centre, Ma Retraite Scheme, East Bank Berbice.
A release from CARILED said that the workshop was a component of the Mara Agricultural Enhancement Project (MAEP), which seeks to increase the productive capacity and crop diversity of farmers in the Mara (California to Germania) area, Region 6.
The workshop was facilitated by specialists from the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) – Arnold De Mendonça, Sustainable Rural Development Specialist and Jermaine Joseph, Agricultural Field Specialist, and assisted by Yashma Subhai, District Officer of the National Agricultural Re-search and Extension Institute (NAREI).
The training focused on use of farm management tools for effective management of farms; low cost production techniques; good agricultural practices including preventing and controlling contamination of farm produce; post-harvest handling of crops to prevent losses; development of market operations and new production and alternative farming techniques.
CARILED National Country Coordinator, Dhanraj Singh, at the closing of the workshop, commended the farmers’ commitment in their participation and noted that continuous learning and training for increased capacity were essential for growth and development. He urged them to adopt the new practices within their local context. He indicated that CARILED would continue to work with the farmers to facilitate increased access to new markets nationally, regionally and internationally.
Regional Chairman David Armogan and Regional Vice Chairman Bhupaul Jhagroo also attended the closing of the workshop. They urged the farmers to see agriculture as a business and not just as a sustainable way of life. They reminded the farmers about the reality of international competition in globalization and suggested that the adoption of new technologies and modern agricultural practices are necessary for success in agribusiness.
Chairman of the Mara Farmers Association, Ovid Phillips expressed gratitude on behalf of the farmers for the opportunity to receive the training to improve their lives.
The MAEP, with the support of CARILED, over the life of the project, will provide training in the areas of good agricultural practices, small farm management, low cost production techniques, post-harvest handling capacity building, and machine operation and maintenance. The project will also provide a multipurpose mini excavator for maintenance of drainage and irrigation canals, land clearing and preparation.
CARILED, funded by the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, is a six year project being implemented by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, in partnership with the Caribbean Association of Local Government Authorities, the Caribbean Forum of Local Government Ministers and the Commonwealth Local Govern-ment Forum.
The participatory project currently works in seven Caricom countries.
