Anna Regina Secondary is the winner of this year’s Secondary Schools’ Hydroponics Competition.
The contest, now in its fourth year, was launched during Education Month in September and saw the participation of 42 schools from regions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 10.
The competition, which was a collaborative effort among the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), and the ministries of Education and Agriculture, was done in two phases: a training workshop for teachers and students, followed by the preparation and planting of the hydroponics gardens. The gardens were evaluated fortnightly to select the winner.
The runners-up in descending order are St. Rose’s High, Buxton Secondary, No. 29 Primary Top, Berbice High, Uitvlugt Secondary and the Linden Foundation Secondary, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.
FAO Country Representative Dr. Lystra Fletcher-Paul was reported as saying that the competition is just one component of a bigger tele-food project, entitled “Expansion of Hydroponics activities in Guyana,” which the FAO is funding in collaboration with IICA. The $2.2M project will see the establishment of two practical instruction centres in Georgetown, one on the East Coast of Demerara, one at the St Ignatius Secondary School, at Lethem, Region Nine and one on the premises of the Blue Flame Women’s Group in Mabaruma, Region One.
GINA said Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture George Jervis, who functioned as one of the judges for the competition, called on the students present to practice similar activities while at home. Jervis said he was impressed with the produce displayed, and suggested that home-done projects be included in the competition.
Jervis also pointed out that students now have the opportunity to start making money from the items they produce, saying there are doctors, lawyers and even engineers who are earning additional incomes from practising farming.
Meanwhile, First Lady, Deolatchmee Ramotar, the patroness of the competition, emphasised that the purpose of the activity was to re-kindle interest in agriculture while promoting healthy lifestyles and safe environments. This goal coincides with the Garden of Children Initiative, which Mrs Ramotar launched on International Children’s Day earlier this year, GINA noted. Mrs Ramotar pledged her continued support to the competition, which she hopes will attract the participation of more schools next year.
