The National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) recently hosted a four-day workshop for students taught by lecturers from St Kitts-based Clarence Fitzroy Bryan College (CFBC) who are spearheading an organic, hydroponic ‘Provisions Project.’
The workshop stems from the ‘Provisions: Organic, Hydroponic Hybrid-System of Growing for Caribbean Schools and Model for Local Caribbean Entrepreneurship’ which is also known as ‘The Provisions Project.’ It is being spearheaded by Dr Leighton Naraine and Stuart La Place where the hydroponics model developed at the College will be replicated in five Caribbean countries, starting with Guyana. Students from several secondary schools and the Guyana School of Agriculture participated in the workshop, a press release said.
NAREI CEO Dr Oudho Homenauth said the institute wants to promote the “new agriculture” in Guyana and the Provisions Project makes this possible. “What people are accustomed to, especially the young folks might be looking at the older people in the region and saying ‘hey this all about a lot of hard work, back breaking work in terms of using the hose, and the fork and the cutlass…so the model we have been using in collaboration with the stakeholders…is in fact the way to go,” he said. The project is not confined to just one system of agriculture but involves a hybrid system of hydroponics and organoponics developed at the CFBC, he said.
Dr Naraine, who is the project team leader lauded the partnership with NAREI and believes that the project has left an impact on Guyana. “At first when we made some field observation…we thought there is an abundance of food, there is an abundance of water; there is an abundance of good soil and so Guyana doesn’t need anything, they have the expertise and so why are we here?” he questioned. However, a closer look revealed that although there is an abundance of certain things, “I cannot definitively say that production is very high,” he said.
La Place, the project technical expert taught all the workshop sessions. He demonstrated how the hydroponics system works inside a shade house erected at NAREI especially for the project. The shade house also boasts an organoponics section. The students impressed La Place with their capacity to put their training into practice, the press release said.
“What was most impressive was that some students were actually re-enacting some of the planting techniques and strategies that I’ve shown them and not only that but explaining why it’s being done like that and some of the benefits and the things you look for when you are planting. These students were basically chosen on the spot and they responded quite well and the enthusiasm was there. It shows that they have learnt,” he said.
The Provisions Project is co-written by Dr Kevin Meehan, Director, Haitian Students Project, University of Central Florida. The project is currently being implemented with funding from the OAS Development Cooperation Fund in collaboration with the Governments of St Kitts and Nevis, Barbados, Guyana, Haiti and Trinidad and Tobago. Haiti will be the next country where it will be implemented. More information is available at www.facebook.com/provisionsproject
