APNU wants to end ‘paternalistic’ approach to Amerindian development

Sep 27, 2011 News

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..Outlines hinterland agri development policy

Amerindian development issues are treated in a “paternalistic” manner, being completely dictated by tight Government control, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has suggested.
The coalition promises to reverse this trend if it manages to unseat the incumbent PPP/C at this year’s general elections.
APNU executive, Lance Carberry, said that every Amerindian development issue seems to be couched under the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, when the constitution provides for the Amerindians to make decisions that affect their own lives.
“APNU is convinced that the Indigenous peoples should be empowered to exercise control over developments affecting their livelihoods, lands, territory and resources.

“In that respect, they should be fully responsible for the strengthening of their institutions and the advancement and promotion of their cultures and traditions,” Carberry said at a press conference at the coalition’s Regent Street, Georgetown office, yesterday.
The Partnership said that it recognizes the national need to respect and promote the rights of the Indigenous peoples of Guyana. These needs derive from their political, economic and social structures, as well as from their cultural and spiritual traditions, history and philosophies.
For example, Carberry said that with regards to education, very little teaching is being done in Amerindian languages.
He said that apart from the fact that nothing is wrong with teaching English, if classroom sessions are held in Amerindian languages that the people are accustomed to, this would be very important for Amerindian development.
APNU believes that the knowledge, cultures and traditional practices of the Amerindians should be respected, “particularly practices which contribute to the environmentally sustainable development of their resources.”
APNU executive Vernon McPherson pointed out that traditionally, the indigenous peoples have met their food needs through subsistence agriculture (mainly cassava), hunting and fishing.
However, in recent years, with the upsurge in mining and, to a lesser extent, logging, contiguous to many of their communities, McPherson suggested that these traditional food sources have been severely compromised by environmental degradation and habitat loss.
To compound matters, he said that young men have been leaving the villages for jobs in mining and forestry.
“The result has been an insidious growth in the levels of gnawing and debilitating human deprivation, especially in the villages and communities more distant from the Regional Centres,” he stated.
McPherson stated that an APNU Government will implement policies designed to enhance the dignity of the Peoples of the Hinterland by developing and sustaining a vibrant hinterland agricultural programme.
The overriding objective of APNU policies would be the attainment of food and nutrition security for all communities through the promotion of environmentally sensitive food production systems, based on agricultural diversification, enhanced water management and efficient land use, he added.
He outlined specific objectives the coalition will seek to achieve.
For Regions One, Seven and Eight the focus will be on community-level integrated crop and small animal production systems aimed at the continual availability of a variety of foods so as to improve the health and nutrition of the people.
McPherson said that some areas of Region One are capable of sustained yields from orchard crops, such as citrus, avocado, coffee; oil palm, Minica, Black-eye and other legumes and ground provisions.
This region, McPherson noted, is also the main source for the heart of palm, harvested from the Manicole palm, which has been channelled, by Amazon Caribbean (Guyana) Ltd. (Amcar), into a thriving export business.
He said that in the villages of Region 8 where the production of ‘exotic’ food crops, such as carrots, white potatoes, onions and turmeric was successfully undertaken during 1972-76, such production will be resuscitated and expanded to cater for the national and CARICOM markets.
In Region 9, he said the Moco Moco and Nappi valleys consist of about 7,570 hectares. McPherson said that about 70% of the soils of both areas consist of good to moderately good agricultural land suitable for a wide range of crops, such as citrus, avocado, peanut, carrots, eschallot, onions, cabbages, corn, hot and sweet pepper, tomato, ground provision and sugar-cane.
APNU proposes to put traditional beef cattle rearing on a scientific footing to take advantage of the international demand for ‘organic’ beef, while outlining a plan to strengthen the nascent sheep and goat rearing enterprises.
McPherson said, too, that in Region Ten, APNU-led government will ensure that the Intermediate Savannahs, long touted as the “next frontier for agricultural development,” are effectively utilized for integrated, industrial-level crop and livestock enterprises.

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