traditional practices to the aid of agriculture

Macouria, Maripasoula (Guyana), report

From a distance, the plot appears like a confused mass of vegetation where green, in all its nuances, undeniably dominates. Despite the historic drought hitting Guyana, Shirley Jean-Charles, based near Macouria, on the coast, is one of the rare farmers who manages to come to terms with nature and maintain her production.

For 18 months — with the exception of May 2024 — Guyana has suffered a chronic water deficit, and the year will certainly be the hottest ever recorded by Météo-France, beating the record set in 2020.

And yet, on the 2,000 m² in « syntropic agriculture »a very advanced form of agroforestry, which she began planting this year, the young farmer still has to irrigate the youngest shoots, but manages to go without water for most of the crops.

« Reconstructing all the complexity of a forest »

« The principle of syntropy is to reconstruct all the complexity of a forest with several strata. The system operates completely autonomously »summarizes this former communications executive, converted to agriculture in 2020.

Concretely, here, the upper floors provide shade to the ginger, legumes and tubers on the lower floors. As the plot becomes denser and the light struggles to penetrate the plant cover, less sun-loving crops then take over, such as cupuaçu, an Amazonian fruit cousin to cocoa.

And, if his method allows him to save water, this does not come at the expense of yields. « Three quarters of plants are used to produce biomass to enrich the soil or make mulch, but future rambutans [un fruit semblable au litchi] and mombins plums will always give plenty of fruit »illustrates the organic farmer who then sells her stocks to a wholesaler and to points of sale on the Island of Cayenne.

State of “ agricultural calamity »

On a regional scale, the situation is much more critical. The Guyana Chamber of Agriculture estimates that between 60 and 70 % of the approximately 6,100 farms would be damaged by the drought, which affects the entire Amazon basin.

At the beginning of November, the Chamber asked state services to recognize the state of « agricultural calamity ». At the same time, on the coast, the Community of Savanes, one of the most agricultural in Guyana, announced that it was organizing a distribution of free water to farmers in need.

While this may seem paradoxical in a region considered by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) among the best endowed with fresh water in the world, it will nevertheless have to get used to these tensions on this resource. According to the GuyaClimat report, which models the local consequences of climate change, we should expect a drop in precipitation of 15 to 25 % by 2100.

In this context, more and more Guyanese farmers like Shirley Jean-Charles are trying to experiment with agricultural techniques more adapted to the new climate, drawing inspiration in particular from so-called traditional knowledge, more or less related to agroforestry. .

At the other end of Guyana, in Saint-Georges de l'Oyapock, the Panakuh forest knowledge center seeks to promote the knowledge, particularly agricultural, of the Palikur indigenous community. « Two years ago, we planted fruit and medicinal trees native to the Guiana plateau, such as the carapa, the wassai or the Amazonian walnut with different layers which protect each other, without the need for 'irrigate »explains Jacob Jutte, leader of the association.

The association is now seeking to extend its model to 19 hectares of land granted by the National Forestry Office, by favoring species that are among the most resistant to drought such as the comou palm – whose fruits can be eaten – or the cashew tree, the cashew tree.

In traditional abattis – these fields cultivated in the forest, on slash and burn, with crop rotation – which represent the majority of Guyanese farms [1]practices also change. In this model which already practices associations of species, more and more farmers are starting to integrate an orchard or combine banana trees with their more traditional productions such as cassava or sweet potatoes.

« Make the giblet last »

A development which can be explained both by the desire to diversify yields but also to have more resistant plots, with a plant cover capable of maintaining the freshness of the soil.

« My father only planted cassavas and once he harvested them, the land returned to the forest and he opened a new plantation. I add banana trees, and I plan to make the giblet last »explains Marie-Luce Blakaman, a farmer from Maripasoula who relies on this production to feed herself and make some money by selling surplus at the market.

But Marie-Luce Blakaman did not have time to put her plans into action and, this year as in many Guyanese regions, the harvests will be meager. « Much of what I planted this year died with the drought. We don't have an irrigation system here »she laments, contemplating the blackened slopes of her abattis, where young cassavas and banana shoots finish drying out under a blazing sun.

With this historic drought, all agricultural sectors and systems have been put in difficulty. From family farms to vast coastal livestock farms, including more mechanized farms, specialized in fruit crops and having largely integrated chemical inputs into their production model.

« Under these conditions, no one is capable of maintaining production, but after two years of drought, we can still conclude that more traditional models have a better capacity for regeneration. »analyzes Massiri Gueye, co-president of the Forest Knowledge Network (RSF), an association which promotes the exchange of practices in favor of more resilient agriculture.

« These are techniques that work »

« Richer soils and more complex root systems allow for a better recovery after drought »he argues, based on feedback from the ten or so agricultural projects that the association monitors.

« We've had a drought for months. All my plants that were in earth bags burned while everything that was in the woods survived. These are techniques that work »confirms Shirley Jean-Charles from her farm in Macouria.

Despite these promising initiatives, and although irrigation is necessary during very specific periods, it is illusory to think that Guyanese agriculture will be able to do without it completely while future dry seasons could well relegate that of 2024 to the rank of ordinary year.

« There, the trees are doing well but if we hadn't had a little rainy episode in mid-November, we would surely have had losses. The impact of the drought was very strong »reports Jacob Jutte. On her farm in Macouria, Shirley Jean-Charles also has to regularly water the youngest part of her syntropic plot while waiting for the synergies to take hold.

« We will have to plan the management of water for agricultural purposes, supporting farmers in setting up water recovery and storage systems. Public authorities must address this issue »pleads Massiri Gueye.

Drinking water networks still incomplete

While in many rural areas, the houses themselves are not always connected to the cities' drinking water networks, the task promises to be long. In Guyana, it is estimated that 15 % of the population does not have access to drinking water.

« To make a gap through the forest and collect drinking water, I got 40,000 euros out of my pocket. ! Fortunately some friends helped me, otherwise it would have been difficult to get back on track. »relates Shirley Jean-Charles, whose EAFRD grant application took too long for her to be processed.

If it is not anticipated, the water problem is likely to be added to the structural obstacles which are already paralyzing Guyanese agriculture, such as the lack of technicians present in the territory or, above all, access to land, always owned at 97 % by the State.

Thus, in Guyana, many farmers like Shirley Jean-Charles are settled on land that their parents already cultivated but continue not to own it. However, it is there, at home, between a cupuaçu tree, a few sweet potatoes and a Monbin plum tree, that we find the paths that allow us to imagine agriculture adapted to climate change.