Over at the Mazaruni Prison, a climate-smart pilot project spearheaded by the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) has shown tremendous promise.
The Guyana Prison Services emphasized in an official statement that the 60-by-40-foot shade shelter built by NARIE is already significantly contributing to better food and nutrition security at that detention facility. Crops grown in the shade house included calaloo, lettuce, aubergine and bougainvillea
According to Mr. Andre Ally, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Guyana Prison Service can comply with the president’s order by obtaining half of its food from the farm project. According to him, the inmates still benefit from the program even if it just offers twenty percent (20%) as they are learning a skill that will help them find employment after they are freed.
Director of Prisons, Nicklon Elliot highlighted that the shade houses, similar to greenhouses, allow for the cultivation of crops in a controlled environment and, while not a new concept, is now attracting increased interest