5th-9th June 2023, Guyana - CIMH Press Release
On June 5, the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH), in partnership with the European Union, University of Reading, the Ministry of Agriculture in Guyana, and the Hydrometeorological Service of Guyana commenced a 5-day Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA) training workshop for agricultural stakeholders in Georgetown, Guyana.
The training which was attended by 30 participants comprising Agriculture Extension Officers, Meteorologists, Fisheries Officers, and other key stakeholders in agriculture focused on the use of historical and forecasted, weather and climate information and participatory extension approaches to enhance agriculture.
During the workshop, which was the second of its kind held in Guyana, participants explored the link between climate services and agricultural extension. Attendees shared current farming and livelihoods practices and participated in exercises on identifying and selecting suitable crops, varieties, and crop practices; crop management, livestock, and livelihood options; understanding and using short term and seasonal forecasts; and the role of facilitators in empowering farmers to make informed decisions about which practices work best in their context. In a field exercise, participants had the opportunity to test their training when working with farmers’ groups in Berbice. The training workshop concluded with a closing ceremony during which certificates of completion were presented to participants by the Joan Sastre Nadal of the European Union Delegation in Guyana and Haymawattie Danny, Deputy Chief Hydrometeorological Officer, Hydrometeorological Services of Guyana.
Joan Sastre Nadal of the European Union Delegation in Guyana commented on the longstanding partnership between the European Union and Guyana. He stated “Capacity building like what has been undertaken over the last few days will support farmers in utilising these types of projection and climate information for planning at the site level. This will improve sector resilience, farm-by-farm, country by country”.
Mrs. Haymawattie Danny, Deputy Chief Hydrometeorological Officer, Hydrometeorological Service, expressed her enthusiasm for the workshop stating it addressed a critical need to build resilience against the impacts of climate variability and change in the agricultural sector.
"This PISCA workshop is a platform for continued capacity building to enhance climate services for agriculture in all farming regions across Guyana. The knowledge and skills that you [the participants] have gained in this workshop will help you to improve the quality of service and advice that you deliver to farmers which will play an integral role in improving farming practices in Guyana." She also expressed gratitude to the Intra-ACP ClimSA Caribbean Programme and commended the CIMH for the ongoing work by the Institute to address the impact of climate change through national and regional capacity building.
Further implementation of the Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture approach in Guyana will be directed by the Ministry of Agriculture, jointly through its National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) and Hydrometeorological Service. Using a train the trainer model, NAREI and the Hydrometeorological Service will organize structured information sharing and training sessions led by Agriculture Extension Officers and other workshop participants. Through these sessions the PICSA approach and lessons learned will be shared with farmers and other key beneficiaries to empower them with the requisite knowledge and skills to make informed decisions, reduce risk, and build resilience on their farms.
The Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture training workshop is one of several regional initiatives supported by the Intra-ACP Climate Services and Related Applications (ClimSA) Caribbean Programme. Through these initiatives, the programme seeks to enhance the use of climate information, services, and applications in key climate sensitive sectors, including agriculture, water, and health, to support climate-resilient development.
Support for the Intra-ACP ClimSA Caribbean Programme is provided by the global Intra-ACP ClimSA Programme, an initiative funded by the European Union (EU). The programme aims to improve the production, access to and use of climate information, services, and applications to support evidence-based decision-making across African, Caribbean, and Pacific States.