Government collaborates with FAO to develop sustainable rural communities

Oct 21, 2020 News

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Kaieteur News – Yesterday, the Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha said that the Ministry “looks forward to continue working with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to develop sustainable rural communities that will help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”
Minister Mustapha made this announcement during the two-day conference of the 36th FAO Regional Conference, yesterday, where he addressed the Director General of the FAO, the Minister of Agriculture in Nicaragua, delegations from the United Nations, intergovernmental and civil society organizations, the private sector and academia.
In his presentation, the Minister stated that the government lauds the FAO’s Hand-in-Hand Initiative, which promotes the goal of achieving the SDGs, particularly SDGs One and Two, while adding that the Ministry of Agriculture is cognizant of the fact that of the 169 targets included in the SDGs, 78% depend on actions undertaken in rural areas of the world.
With this, the Minister said, “It is a well-known fact, that economic growth in agriculture is about three times more effective at reducing poverty and food insecurity than growth in other sectors. As most of our poorest and hungriest live in rural areas and are involved in agricultural activities, investment in agriculture is therefore critical for the resuscitation of rural livelihoods in these times of the COVID-19 pandemic, and enabling the rural economy to recover.”
He reminded the conference of the need for a concerted effort in ensuring that there are sustainable agriculture policies and measures that contribute to poverty reduction in the rural communities.
The Minister highlighted the need for improving agricultural and rural statistics as a priority of the Government of Guyana, in order to make informed policy decisions for prosperous and inclusive rural communities. The Ministry of Agriculture of Guyana is therefore committed to working with the FAO to prepare a Strategic Plan for Agricultural and Rural Statistics.
He went on to list investments as a key component to strengthening the new rural development agenda. Investment in the development of public goods such as agricultural mechanization, innovation, infrastructure, technical assistance, and access to farm to markets in rural areas is important for development, the Minister stated.
Mustapha stated that realistically, it is not feasible for a government budget to sufficiently finance all the projects necessary, therefore increased investments through enhanced international cooperation with organizations such as the FAO are welcomed.
“However, we are aware that funding from international organisations has its limitations and therefore private investment and public-private partnerships are encouraged to increase the coverage of public goods and services, particularly in the rural communities,” he commented.
With regards to poverty reduction, the Minister reminded the conference that the PPP/C Government has committed to investing in the sugar industry, reopening the closed sugar estates, bringing the industry to a break-even point, and creating many socio-economic benefits for the thousands of persons that will be reemployed.
Further, the Ministry of Agriculture of Guyana agrees with the FAO that the vision of the agricultural sector, as a generator of employment, must be expanded to involve related value-added sectors in food production, processing, rural services, and market access, and that these should be supported by policies that stimulate their growth through innovation and investment.
In the area of new opportunities, Minister Mustapha highlighted the need for initiatives that will allow the agriculture sector to remain relevant even in an oil-based economy. Against this, he stated that the government is working towards developing better functioning institutions, training the labour force, and diversifying the agriculture-based economy.
“Changes in markets with greater access requirements,” the Minister articulated, “the accelerated pace of technological transformations, and demands for knowledge and management skills impose new challenges for our farming population.”
He reminded that technological change is one of the important challenges to be addressed if Guyana is to compete with technologically advanced nations, especially in crops and livestock research initiatives in areas such as artificial insemination and genetic improvements. “Technical cooperation would be welcomed as technological changes will serve as an engine of positive transformation for rural development,” Mustapha said.

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