NAREI recently took its farmers’ field school to cassava and sweet potato farmers in Parika, East Bank Essequibo, as part of the Agricultural Diversification Project (ADP).
According to a press release from GINA, over 30 farmers were educated on the cultivation of the two crops through sessions which focused mainly on drainage and irrigation, along with fertilisation.
The release quoted Aretha Peters, NAREI’s Research Assistant who facilitated some of the sessions as explaining to the farmers that, “moisture has a decisive influence on sweet potato growth and production; the water content of the leaf is 86%, steam 88.4% and the tuber 70.6%,” and thus the soil must be kept moist during the 60 to 120-day growth period. Sprinkler irrigation, as it is similar to rainfall, is one of the best techniques for this type of crop, the release stated.
Meanwhile another NAREI Research Assistant, Premnauth Beecham highlighted that Parika is one of the country’s largest cassava producing areas. NAREI is currently using Brazilian machines to cultivate and harvest cassava at its Kairuni Horticulture Station as part of its experiment to harvest cassava by mechanical means with the aim of enhancing cultivation and production, the release said.
According to the release, numerous farmers also benefited from training in the use of these machines. The farmers were allowed to participate in discussions through the interactive sessions both in-house and in the fields. Female participants were also welcomed by Beecham, who said that their participation was an excellent sign, since agriculture is often associated with males.
