Systemic changes needed to revolutionise agriculture in the Region – President Ali

(Department of Public Information Press Release) His Excellency Dr. Irfaan Ali said that systemic changes are necessary if Guyana and the rest of the Caribbean Region are going to be food secure.

He told a Science Summit of the United Nations General Assembly via zoom (Monday) that for far too long, there has been a passive approach to food security, which has amplified the problem at the regional level.

The Head of State, who was the keynote speaker at the food security forum, proposed an overhauling of the regional agriculture system to not only make it less laborious but to encourage women and youth into the workforce.

Enhanced technological use, he pointed out, would be imperative to develop the new system.

“How do we ensure that more women are leading farms, using science and technology as aids? We cannot build an agricultural system or a production system that does not have the future in mind. What we have now is a lot of young people not going into agriculture.  The question is, why? Because we still promote agriculture in the traditional way.”

To change the system, President Ali noted that Governments need to make larger investments, remove the red tape hampering the flow, use individual strengths for the collective good and enhance private sector partnerships.

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