Agriculture has long been central to the economics of Guyana, and its continued development will be important to Guyana’s efforts to strengthen food production, create economic opportunities, and diversify the economy. As the sector evolves, technology presents an opportunity not simply to address existing challenges, but to make farming more efficient, productive, and attractive for the future.
This was evident at the recently concluded Berbice Expo, where agricultural drones were among the technologies showcased to farmers and the wider public. The equipment demonstrates how innovation can increasingly become part of everyday agricultural operations, from spraying and fertiliser application to spreading seeds and monitoring crops.
The potential significance of such technology should not be viewed solely through the lens of farmers having difficulty finding workers. While labour availability is an important consideration for the sector, the greater opportunity lies in using technology to improve the way agricultural work is undertaken.
The 2023 Guyana Workforce Assessment, as summarised by the International Labour Organisation, projects that agriculture will require more than 12,000 additional workers by 2028. Meeting that demand will require investment in people, training and technology. These should not be regarded as competing priorities.
Indeed, technology can complement the agricultural workforce by allowing farmers to accomplish certain tasks more efficiently while enabling workers to focus on activities that require greater skill, judgement, and human oversight.
The agricultural drone displayed at the Berbice Expo provides a practical example. According to GuyDrones representative Joel Singh, the equipment can carry up to 50 kilogrammes when spreading and up to 40 litres when spraying. It is also equipped with obstacle-avoidance technology and can be adapted for different applications through changes to its tank.
Such equipment can potentially reduce the time and physical effort required to cover large areas of farmland. More importantly, however, it introduces farmers to precision agriculture, where technology can be used to apply inputs more systematically and monitor conditions in the field.
Singh noted that technology is available to monitor crops and identify particular vegetation in fields. This points to a broader transformation in agriculture, where data, sensors, imaging, and automated equipment can increasingly support farmers in making decisions.
For a country seeking to expand agricultural production, these developments deserve serious attention, as the objective should be to ensure that investments in equipment produce measurable benefits in productivity, efficiency, and farm management.
This will also require a workforce capable of operating and maintaining modern agricultural equipment. The requirement for operators to maintain visual contact with drones, along with the training associated with their use and the regulatory requirements of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, illustrates that technology does not eliminate the need for skilled people. Instead, it changes the nature of the skills required.
This is an important distinction as Guyana considers the future of agriculture.
The same theme of innovation was visible at the Berbice Expo outside agriculture. Prefabricated housing units showcased how technology and modern construction methods can provide alternative approaches to meeting housing demand. Such developments demonstrate that innovation is becoming increasingly relevant across sectors of the economy.
For agriculture, modern equipment can help farmers improve productivity, monitor crops more closely, manage inputs and potentially expand the scale of their operations. Over time, greater adoption of technology can also encourage a younger generation to view agriculture as a modern industry rather than one dependent primarily on traditional methods.
That shift in perception matters, as the discussion should now move to ask how technology can enable those workers to produce more, work more efficiently and participate in a more modern agricultural economy. The drones showcased in Berbice offer one glimpse of that future.
Embracing this technology will ensure that agriculture remains a modern industry capable of supporting the country’s development for decades to come.
This was evident at the recently concluded Berbice Expo, where agricultural drones were among the technologies showcased to farmers and the wider public. The equipment demonstrates how innovation can increasingly become part of everyday agricultural operations, from spraying and fertiliser application to spreading seeds and monitoring crops.
The potential significance of such technology should not be viewed solely through the lens of farmers having difficulty finding workers. While labour availability is an important consideration for the sector, the greater opportunity lies in using technology to improve the way agricultural work is undertaken.
The 2023 Guyana Workforce Assessment, as summarised by the International Labour Organisation, projects that agriculture will require more than 12,000 additional workers by 2028. Meeting that demand will require investment in people, training and technology. These should not be regarded as competing priorities.
Indeed, technology can complement the agricultural workforce by allowing farmers to accomplish certain tasks more efficiently while enabling workers to focus on activities that require greater skill, judgement, and human oversight.
The agricultural drone displayed at the Berbice Expo provides a practical example. According to GuyDrones representative Joel Singh, the equipment can carry up to 50 kilogrammes when spreading and up to 40 litres when spraying. It is also equipped with obstacle-avoidance technology and can be adapted for different applications through changes to its tank.
Such equipment can potentially reduce the time and physical effort required to cover large areas of farmland. More importantly, however, it introduces farmers to precision agriculture, where technology can be used to apply inputs more systematically and monitor conditions in the field.
Singh noted that technology is available to monitor crops and identify particular vegetation in fields. This points to a broader transformation in agriculture, where data, sensors, imaging, and automated equipment can increasingly support farmers in making decisions.
For a country seeking to expand agricultural production, these developments deserve serious attention, as the objective should be to ensure that investments in equipment produce measurable benefits in productivity, efficiency, and farm management.
This will also require a workforce capable of operating and maintaining modern agricultural equipment. The requirement for operators to maintain visual contact with drones, along with the training associated with their use and the regulatory requirements of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, illustrates that technology does not eliminate the need for skilled people. Instead, it changes the nature of the skills required.
This is an important distinction as Guyana considers the future of agriculture.
The same theme of innovation was visible at the Berbice Expo outside agriculture. Prefabricated housing units showcased how technology and modern construction methods can provide alternative approaches to meeting housing demand. Such developments demonstrate that innovation is becoming increasingly relevant across sectors of the economy.
For agriculture, modern equipment can help farmers improve productivity, monitor crops more closely, manage inputs and potentially expand the scale of their operations. Over time, greater adoption of technology can also encourage a younger generation to view agriculture as a modern industry rather than one dependent primarily on traditional methods.
That shift in perception matters, as the discussion should now move to ask how technology can enable those workers to produce more, work more efficiently and participate in a more modern agricultural economy. The drones showcased in Berbice offer one glimpse of that future.
Embracing this technology will ensure that agriculture remains a modern industry capable of supporting the country’s development for decades to come.
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Agriculture has long been central to the economics of Guyana, and its continued development will be important to Guyana’s efforts to strengthen food production, create economic opportunities, and diversify the economy. As the sector evolves, technology presents an opportunity not simply to address existing challenges, but to make farming more efficient, productive, and attractive for the future.
This was evident at the recently concluded Berbice Expo, where agricultural drones were among the technologies showcased to farmers and the wider public. The equipment demonstrates how innovation can increasingly become part of everyday agricultural operations, from spraying and fertiliser application to spreading seeds and monitoring crops.
The potential significance of such technology should not be viewed solely through the lens of farmers having difficulty finding workers. While labour availability is an important consideration for the sector, the greater opportunity lies in using technology to improve the way agricultural work is undertaken.
The 2023 Guyana Workforce Assessment, as summarised by the International Labour Organisation, projects that agriculture will require more than 12,000 additional workers by 2028. Meeting that demand will require investment in people, training and technology. These should not be regarded as competing priorities.
Indeed, technology can complement the agricultural workforce by allowing farmers to accomplish certain tasks more efficiently while enabling workers to focus on activities that require greater skill, judgement, and human oversight.
The agricultural drone displayed at the Berbice Expo provides a practical example. According to GuyDrones representative Joel Singh, the equipment can carry up to 50 kilogrammes when spreading and up to 40 litres when spraying. It is also equipped with obstacle-avoidance technology and can be adapted for different applications through changes to its tank.
Such equipment can potentially reduce the time and physical effort required to cover large areas of farmland. More importantly, however, it introduces farmers to precision agriculture, where technology can be used to apply inputs more systematically and monitor conditions in the field.
Singh noted that technology is available to monitor crops and identify particular vegetation in fields. This points to a broader transformation in agriculture, where data, sensors, imaging, and automated equipment can increasingly support farmers in making decisions.
For a country seeking to expand agricultural production, these developments deserve serious attention, as the objective should be to ensure that investments in equipment produce measurable benefits in productivity, efficiency, and farm management.
This will also require a workforce capable of operating and maintaining modern agricultural equipment. The requirement for operators to maintain visual contact with drones, along with the training associated with their use and the regulatory requirements of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, illustrates that technology does not eliminate the need for skilled people. Instead, it changes the nature of the skills required.
This is an important distinction as Guyana considers the future of agriculture.
The same theme of innovation was visible at the Berbice Expo outside agriculture. Prefabricated housing units showcased how technology and modern construction methods can provide alternative approaches to meeting housing demand. Such developments demonstrate that innovation is becoming increasingly relevant across sectors of the economy.
For agriculture, modern equipment can help farmers improve productivity, monitor crops more closely, manage inputs and potentially expand the scale of their operations. Over time, greater adoption of technology can also encourage a younger generation to view agriculture as a modern industry rather than one dependent primarily on traditional methods.
That shift in perception matters, as the discussion should now move to ask how technology can enable those workers to produce more, work more efficiently and participate in a more modern agricultural economy. The drones showcased in Berbice offer one glimpse of that future.
Embracing this technology will ensure that agriculture remains a modern industry capable of supporting the country’s development for decades to come.Discover more from Guyana Times
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Source: Guyana Times
