Green Antilles

In Guyana, as in Suriname, indigenous communities are benefiting from solar-generated electricity:

Guyana’s Hinterland Electrification Unit is preparing to install the first 1,000 solar panels as part of a pilot programme in the country.

The unit, which is based at the Office of the Prime Minister, has trained 355 villagers from 184 hinterland communities ahead of the programme.

The panels are already in the country, and the Unit is awaiting the arrival of supporting materials; another 10,000 panels are expected to arrive in December, according to Horace Williams, head of the HEP.

The project is a part of Guyana’s drive to tap renewable sources of energy, along with helping bring electricity to the country’s remote Amerinidian communities.

Source.

Previously on Green Antilles: Solar power for indigenous and maroon communities in Suriname.

[Photo: Guyana Government Information Agency via caribjournal.com]

The Amerindian Three Brothers Community in Guyana were recently visited by a pharmaceutical scientist, who advised them on the development of botanically-based cosmetic products from local plants:

In the remote tropical forest of Guyana, the Amerindian population known as the Three Brothers Community have been producing Crabwood oil from Crabwood tree seeds (Carapa guianensis). The oil is reputed to be an anti-inflammatory, antifungal and antibacterial as well as being very high in Vitamin E and effective in repelling mosquitoes. The community wanted to utilize the oil in cosmetic products, however they have little experience creating cosmetic and consumer products with broad appeal and requested assistance from FAVACA.

In collaboration with Partners of the Americas and the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs of Guyana, Florida International Volunteer Corps (FAVACA) recruited Dr. Henry Chan, Technical Director of MAYLÁN Skincare and former Research and Development Manager for Blistex, to travel to Guyana … to help community members develop cosmetic products such as lotions, creams and shampoos from Crabwood oil and other local resources.

Dr. Chan provided training on the physical and chemical properties of the ingredients and the function of these ingredients in formulas for creams, lotions and shampoos. Each participant had a chance to weigh the chemicals and heat and mix the products employed. The hands-on experience allowed participants to observe the process and make changes if the product was not congealing correctly. Participants were able to take the shampoo, cream and lotions home to teach other community members to utilize Crabwood oil.

Based on Dr. Chan’s recommendations, the community will also be looking at ways to improve packaging in order to prevent contamination and moisture loss. “I was honored to be invited into the Guyanese Amerindian community to train them to develop cosmetic products. Our Philosophy at MAYLÁN Skincare is to beautify skin and our community and I was pleased to be able to achieve both in Guyana,” said Dr. Chan.

Source, via the Farmer to Farmer blog.

[Photo: via Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute]

The list of legally protected conservation areas in Guyana is growing:

The Kanuku Mountains in Region Nine and Shell Beach in Region One have been added to Guyana’s list of protected areas by President Bharrat Jagdeo.

The announcement was made on Thursday by government spokesman Dr. Roger Luncheon at a news conference at the Office of the President.

“Allied with the enactment of protected areas legislation the president has approved the designation of the Kanuku Mountains area in Region Nine and the Shell Beach area in the North West District, Region One as protected areas,” Dr. Luncheon said.

The two now join the Kaieteur National Park, the Iwokrama Forest Centre and the Konashen District as legally protected areas.

According to the Guyana Biodiversity Clearing House Mechanism (CHM), the Kanukus is one of the most ecologically diverse areas in Guyana with habitats ranging from savannah, gallery forests and semi-deciduous forests in the lowlands to lowland and montane evergreen forests.

It is also home to the Harpy Eagle and the Arapaima and its healthy populations of species which are threatened elsewhere in the world have boosted its importance.

The roughly 140 kilometres of Shell Beach is the nesting ground for four of the world’s eight sea turtle species and also falls under a non-governmental conservation programme.

The Protected Areas Bill was passed in July and provides for the establishment of a Protected Areas Commission which will be responsible for implementing the provisions of the Act. Local administrative bodies in the protected areas will be responsible for executing the tasks set by the central body.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature defines a protected area as “a clearly defined geographical space, recognized, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values.”

Original article found via the Guyana Marine Turtle Conservation Society on Facebook.

Get more information about Guyana’s Protected Areas system at the Guyana Biodiversity Clearing House Mechanism for the Convention on Biological Diversity.

[Photo: Nicholas Laughlin]

The Guyana Information Agency (GINA) reports on the pursuit of sustainable livelihoods in a coastal community:

Along the 90-mile long stretch of beach in the Northwestern Region of Guyana, popularly known as Shell Beach, is the nesting ground for several species of endangered sea turtles including the Leatherback, Hawksbill, Green and Olive Ridley. These turtles are protected by residents of Almond Beach, Region One, who engage in patrols with the aim of monitoring their activities.

Apart from taking part in the turtle conservation efforts, the community’s leaders also strive to drive development which is being progressed alongside turtle conservation efforts since the staff are all residents of the community.

Residents of Almond Beach are currently exploring the possibilities of venturing into the export of bottled coconut water since the community’s coconuts (dry) and copra are popular in Trinidad and Tobago.

Chairman- Almond Beach, Romeo De Freitas noted that over the years the beach’s coconuts have been exported in large quantities. It is hoped that the bottled coconut water initiative will benefit all the farmers in the community.

De Freitas expressed his hopes of having a coconut bottling and oil factory on the beach that will make production of coconut based products easy.

He noted that while coconut is the main agricultural product, the community has the potential to pursue large scale production of 16 crops which include cassava, eddo, plantain, cherry, pepper, tomato and bora. He noted that the community already has market for these products which can be shipped easily to Trinidad and Tobago.

De Freitas indicated that there one challenge with the farm land which needs to be em-poldered.

As it relates to the turtle conservation efforts, De Freitas indicated that over the years the monitoring activities were funded by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). This initiative proves an alternative job opportunity for the males who are predominantly fishermen.

He pointed out that one significant partnership was formed with the Eerepami Rainforest Foundation, a German based organisation, with which a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed to advance conservation efforts. Through this partnership the community received assistance to up-grade their field station, which has internet access and is powered by solar energy, the construction of a multi-purpose guesthouse and information communication (IT) training.

See the original GINA report.

[Photo: Taran Rampersad]

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about a project to educate farmers in Guyana about hydroponic agriculture. This was to be done, in part, via the production and distribution of a training video. The video is now available online, and you can watch it below:

The Shadehouse Project in Guyana is working with farmers to inform them of alternative gardening practices. Hydroponic gardening is one method that can be used in the flooding season and the dry season. This video is a supplemental video to the face-to-face training sessions.

You may also be interested in “Valo’s Journey”.

“Valo’s Journey” tells the story of Mr. Fitzroy “Valo” Valentine, his past struggles with field farming, and his success with shadehouse and hydroponic production of vegetables. In the past 9 or so months, Mr. Valentine has worked with FTF volunteers Drs. Henry Spiller and Alfred Aleguas (Pesticide Safety Specialists), Pete Wotowiec (Greenhouse Specialist), Trevor Hylton (Crop Nursery Management Specialist), and Brian Rosa (Composting Specialist). He and the Cooperative to which he belongs, Marfriends Cooperative Land Society Ltd., has received a great deal of support from Farmer to Farmer over the years.

Found via the Farmer to Farmer blog.

Farmer to Farmer volunteers have been working in Guyana to promote the adoption of hydroponic gardening:

Partners of the Americas, Farmer-to-Farmer volunteers, Cheryl Diermyer and Pat Fellows of Wisconsin, have been working with staff at the Guyana Hydroponic Shadehouse Production and Marketing Project on the production of a hydroponic gardening training video, “Harvesting Green Gold.” The video will support the Hydroponic Shadehouse Project extension officers’ face-to-face training activities. The Shadehouse Project is managed by the Guyana Chapter of Partners of the Americas.

…

The training manual produced by the Shadehouse Production and Marketing Project staff guided the initial phases of developing the rough draft and provided invaluable information to Cheryl and Pat on the steps to a successful hydroponic garden.

Stakeholders in the Shadehouse Production and Marketing project gathered at the Guyana office to watch the preview of the video and give their feedback to the video producers.

“I knew we had a good video, but one never really knows how it will be received until you show it. We made some last minute changes, and I was just really hoping they would like it,” said Pat.

The shadehouse project stakeholders commented on the effectiveness of the personal story approach, where farmers are learning from other farmers through a sharing of personal experiences.

“The goal was to show the rich personal stories of Guyanese farmers and balance that with just enough technical information to inspire in viewers a desire to want to learn more about hydroponic gardening. By the comments we received at today’s meeting, I’m very pleased to say that I think we met that goal.” said Cheryl.

Dr. Bernard Denison, an information technology consultant to the shadehouse project, appreciated that the video engages the viewer and sets the space for them to ask follow-up questions. This will help to generate discussion during the face-to-face training sessions. After viewing the video training participants can immediately ask the extension officer the questions they most want answered.

Several individuals at the meeting mentioned that they were happy that the video was not filled with too much technical information, but just enough to whet the appetite.

Gavin Gounga, the extension officer working on the project, said, referring to his upcoming training sessions, “The video is the appetizer, wait for the main course.”

Read more in the original post at the Farmer to Farmer blog.

[Image: via Farmer to Farmer blog]