UNDP-FAO collaborate on Disaster Risk Management and Reduction Project for Guyana’s Agriculture Sector

The Inception Workshop saw engagement with key partners - the Ministry of Agriculture and Civil Defense Commission, and key stakeholders from the Ministries of Finance, Communities, Natural Resources and the Environment, the Office of the Presidency, Non-Governmental Organizations, and farmers.

In his remarks the Hon. Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder highlighted that the project is significant and timely since the agriculture sector is tasked with attaining more resilient agricultural systems against both obvious and less visible disasters for the reduction of poverty and enhancement of food and nutrition security. Minister Holder emphasized the importance of the global focus on Governance within Disaster Risk Reduction and Management as a key point of the project. He expressed profound gratitude to the Government of Japan for its provision of financial support for the execution of the project.

The UNDP Resident Representative a.i. Ms. Shabnam Mallick in her remarks noted that “the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction ranks Guyana 13 out of 162 countries for flood risk and reported that 0.69% of its population and 0.42 % of GDP are exposed to the effects of flooding.” She stated that “the project represents the first case of disaster risk management mainstreaming implementation in the agriculture sector in Guyana. Considering the past experience and expertise of the two UN agencies in the country, the project provides an opportunity for UNDP and FAO to pool complementary technical expertise and use a collaborative approach, to support implementation of the project.”

Ms. Mallick added that “this project will not only support Guyana in contributing to the achievement of the outcome and goal of the Post 2015 Framework, but also Guyana’s commitment to mainstream disaster risk reduction related policies and programmes under the Small Island Developing States Accelerated Modalities of Action) Pathway. She stated that “UNDP looks forward to continued proactive partnership and collaboration with the FAO, the Ministry of Agriculture, Civil Defense Commission and other key stakeholders in Guyana’s transformation into a climate and disaster resilient country supported by a resilient agriculture sector that secures sustainable livelihood for the people of Guyana.

The implementation of the “Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Management and Reduction in the Agriculture Sector in Guyana” project will commence in July, 2016. The objectives of the project are to:

• Strengthen institutional and coordination mechanisms and technical capacities for disaster risk management and reduction mainstreaming in the agriculture sector;
• Enhance institutional and coordination mechanisms to facilitate the cooperation of all stakeholders in agricultural disaster risk management;
• Strengthen technical capacity of national institutions to employ Disaster Risk Reduction tools, practices and approaches in support of farming communities – to achieve immediate availability of the cadre of trained officers to support national efforts at disaster risk management and reduction, and to train other individuals (farmers, livestock holders and fisher folks);
• Strengthen capacity of farming communities to be resilient towards disasters. Community based disaster risk reduction approaches will be piloted in selected communities; and,
• Conduct public awareness activities and disseminate information on disaster risk reduction practices and approaches among farming communities.