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Agriculture Ministry and Texas University, ink MoU
…Drone device handed over to Ministry
The Ministry of Agriculture and the University of Texas, Dallas (UT Dallas) has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to improve the Ministry’s research and development.
From Left: Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, George Jervis; Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), Dr. Oudho Homenauth; Representative of the Ministry and Trainer, Zola Narine; Minister Sydney Allicock; Chief Hydromet Officer, Garvin Cummings and Assistant Professor of UT Dallas, Anthony Cummings.
This MoU was also cited as a gateway of developing a joint response to issues on environmental management, where appropriate, as these arise during the agreement.
This project, according to a Ministry release, will aid in the study of various aspects of land-use and land-cover change in Guyana and its implications for biodiversity, precipitation and climate.
The release further stated that the research will use two primary tenets of tropical forest cover; the presence of large carnivores and their prey, and the presence and experiences of indigenous peoples; to quantify both positive and negative land-use changes and their impacts on Guyana’s biodiversity.
“The research will bring together the success and strengths of past work of the two entities to develop a comprehensive research effort that seeks to establish relationships between the climate systems with anthropogenic activities.”
As part of a five-year project titled “Land Change Dynamics and Implications for Biodiversity, Forest Cover and Climate project” – which has stemmed from the MoU – the Minister of Indigenous Affairs, Sydney Allicock, yesterday, received a drone device from Dr. Anthony Cummings, Assistant Professor of UT Dallas.
According to Dr. Cummings, the device will be used to develop models to monitor and measure the growth rate of the mangroves along the coast as well as rainfall and carbon levels in Guyana’s forested regions.
The project will commence immediately under the operation of experts from the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) and the Hydro metrological Department of the Ministry.
Minister Allicock lauded the efforts of the University, in particular Dr. Cummings, for giving support in the much needed areas such as climate change.
He alluded to the fact that efforts are being made to bridge the gap between the hinterland and coast, as the hinterland region will be included in projects.
“Mangrove coverage and being in the interior is the way to go. This programme will also be able to give the hinterland communities the ability to plan better in terms of cultivation” the minister said.
The project is set to commence at Greenfield, East Coast Demerara, and Surama and Wowetta in Annai. The cost to assemble one of the drones, Dr. Cummings said, is estimated at US$1,200, with little or no maintenance cost. Each drone has a maximum flight range of one kilometer.
Dr. Cummings said that as the programme progresses, there will be more of the drone devices made available to the Government of Guyana for use throughout the country in other areas of agricultural development.
Also present at the event were Chief Executive Officer of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute, Dr. Oudho Homenauth; and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. George Jervis.
Jervis stated that, Guyana has embarked on several measures to combat climate change, and revealed that one of the measures was that of lending assistance to the mangroves that have been naturally occurring along the coast.
“…Lending assistance in a sense that we have embarked on a series of activities that include the planting, and allowing the environment to change in such a manner, that those mangroves which have been naturally occurring are not swept away by the ever changing behavior of the sea,” is the main intent.
“The project, to my mind, has been significantly successful; you can go to areas along the coast and see changes that were not evident before the project started. There is always room for improvement though…” he said.
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