Bring Act Homestead to Guyana

Sep 03, 2008 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
In 1862 the United States of America in the face of impending economic crisis, and shortages of food, and compounded by an ongoing civil war, took the historic decision to bring into effect legislation that completely changed the face of the country and led to distinct advantages to its people and nation.

Act Homestead, as this law was called, made provision for any American of age 21 or older to file for 160 acres of unused land in the territory of the United States of America.

Eventual ownership of the land became possible after five years if the settler had built a place of dwelling, dug a well, cleared at least 10 acres for cultivation and proved residency on the allotted plot.

What followed after the enactment of the Act has been registered in the annals of history as one of the greatest achievement in pioneering spirit of productive forces in the world at the time.

Indeed this remarkable event contributed to the development of the United States in such a phenomenal way, that its effect is being felt until today. It has contributed to the coming into existence of the great country that today is America.

And all this was possible because of the wisdom shown by the American lawmakers and Government in rightfully asserting that idle lands didn’t serve the best interest of the nation. It was best to give the citizens access to utilise such, especially since the country was under threat of national disaster in terms of its food supplies, caused by the prevailing civil strife among other things.

Indeed the manner in which the process was executed, that is, by creating an environment so that every person was given equal unbiased opportunity to claim the benefits of this scheme, proved to be fruitful, as in the end it fostered a harmonious American society.

Even former slaves became the beneficiaries of this national venture, many of whom went on to establish themselves as prominent members of society.

Today Guyana faces, though not in the proportion and magnitude of the American experience, conditions that are universally accepted as being grave, in terms of ensuring a constant food supply for its people.

While the Government has embarked on a programme to enhance food production via different methods and ways like the ‘Grow More Food’ campaign, it still needs to embark on a more comprehensive agricultural development programme.

One that will cater for the long term needs of the country and will see the opening up of new lands for agricultural purposes and meaningful occupation of the country’s population.

There is great need for radical decisions to be made as it concerns putting to use lands that are presently non productive, especially the hundreds of thousands of acres that have never been cultivated.

The issue of producing more food in Guyana is an age old one. In the 50s and 60s, the then Government of Guyana (then British Guiana) saw the need and realising the potential existed, embarked on policies to make the country more viable in its agricultural production.

Hence there was the creation of the Black Bush Polder agricultural scheme, where thousands of families resettled and developed the land to the benefit of the entire nation.

It was widely acclaimed that this newly opened land scheme was in the forefront of rice production and cash crops in the country. It continues to make an invaluable contribution to the nation’s food supply.

In the 70s and 80s, a similar venture was undertaken. The campaign to ‘Feed, Clothe and House’ the nation resulted in another massive project being realised. The Mahaica-Mahaicony-Abary Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA) came into being, with thousands of acres of land becoming available to farmers.

Since then, there has been no other major land development scheme that was made available to the people of Guyana, although land exists in abundance here. Work on the Tapacuma land development project, located in Essequibo, which commenced in the mid 60s, was never completed.

This area was intended to be identical to the Black Bush Polder scheme in scope and size and had it materialised, Guyana’s agricultural output would have far surpassed present day levels. Comprehensive agricultural programme, especially in the area of land distribution and use, would also serve as a boost to the country’s attempt at diversification in the agri sector.

The dependency on rice and sugar production as two of the main pillars of the national economy and as foreign currency earners will be transformed tremendously. At the same time, such a carefully designed plan will attract both local and international investment.

Today the United States of America is one of the world’s largest food producers.
The American experiment demonstrated to the world how a country can realise its potential through innovation and wise decision making to present to its people opportunities to realise dreams. Guyana needs its own ‘Act Homestead’ in pursuing the same.

New York-based Guyanese