EdYou FM donates to Tutorial High agri dep’t
Empowering women, youth through climate smart agri
On Wednesday, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Guyana School of Agriculture through an effort between the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched its Empowering Women and Youth through the Mainstreaming of Climate-Smart Agriculture Technologies programme at its Mon Repos Campus.
Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha while offering remarks said the project should be seen as more than just a structure as it represents a symbol of empowerment, opportunity, and progress. According to a release from the Ministry of Agriculture, he also said it provides a platform for women and youth to not only gain valuable skills and knowledge in climate-smart agricultural technologies but also to become agents of change.
Canadian High Commissioner Mark Berman in his remarks said harnessing climate-smart agricultural practices is more and more necessary than ever for a sustainable future.
UNDP’s Resident Representative in Guyana, Gerardo Noto said the EnGenDER Project has provided important opportunities to advance the regional shared vision on climate change resilience, according to the release.
The project saw the construction of a greenhouse as well as the establishment of an aquaponics system. Students will be able to utilize climate-smart agricultural techniques such as hydroponics and aquaponics to cultivate vegetables as well as rear various species of fish.
Tutorial High School’s Agricultural Science Department has received a much needed boost.
A Ministry of Education release on Tuesday said that its radio station, EdYou FM, donated a quantity of farming equipment to the high school’s Agricultural Science Department.
The donation included four rakes, three watering cans, two oval-shaped waterers for broilers, three pruning shears, four pairs of rubber boots, and one wheelbarrow. The equipment totalled the sum of $50,000 which was raised from the recently held Ed Café, a charity fundraiser organised by EdYou Fm.
Head of EdYou FM, Phillip Williams said “This speaks to letting the children leave school with a skill, and the Minister and the Ministry are pushing a strong sense of volunteerism. And so, this activity commemorates and represents that, and we are leading by example.”
Meanwhile, the Head of the Agricultural Science Department at Tutorial High School, Esha Ramdat, thanked EdYou FM for the donation, adding that it will significantly boost the department’s capacity.
“I would like to join the students and thank EdYou FM for this timely contribution or donation towards the agricultural
science department […] and I would like to assure you, that I will ensure that our students take good care of them and they would be used for quite a number of years. So once again, thank you very much on behalf of H.M and the Agricultural Science Students and the Agricultural Science Department, as well as the students of the Tutorial High School for your donation”, she said.
And Beyonce Lando, a student at the
school, thanked the donors on behalf of the students and assured that they would take good care of the donated equipment.
According to the release, EdYou FM is committed to giving back to communities and has recently embarked on an annual Christmas toy drive that benefits students from various regions.
This, it noted, is just one of several activities that EdYou FM has planned for the future.