18—Lancaster Farming, Saturday Jan. 26. 1974
Guyana
(Continued Front-Page I)
than abundance. When that
day comes, we may turn for
answers to men like Alton
Daw, from the tiny South
American republic of
Guyana.
Daw, who teaches
agricultural science to high
schoolers in Georgetown,
Guyana, is in Lancaster
County for a total of three
weeks to observe the
workings of a vo-ag
educational program. He’s
staying with families in the
New Holland area, and
working with Garden Spot
High School’s vo-ag
department. Daw is finishing
up a six-month stay in the
U.S. as an International
Educational Development
Program scholarship
recipient. This is the
program formerly known as
the Fullbright Scholarship.
“I think we need programs
like FFA and Young Farmer
groups in Guyana,” Daw told
Lancaster Farming in an
interview this week at the
Robert Martin farm, one of
the host families he’s staying
with. “There’s not enough
contact between our far
mers, and our educators and
extension people.”
Guyana, which was known
as British Guina until May,
1966, has a long history as a
European colony. First
came the Dutch, who con
trolled the country from 1580
to 1780. The Dutch left their
trademark on the country in
the form of elaborate sea
defenses and a fertile
coastline, much of which is
below sea level. The British
gave the colony their form of
government and their
educational system.
“As a colony,” Daw says,
“we became dependent on
handouts. We never really
learned to deal with our own
problems. Our education
system must be changed,
because it was too academic
in tunes past. We weren’t
teaching enough practical
knowledge. Here, you do
have vocational education
programs, and I hope we can
transfer some of your suc
cesses to Guyana. I think we
have to be on guard, though,
that we don’t take too much
academics out of our
programs. Math, science,
the arts - these are still
necessary."
Guyana is relying on
cooperatives to combat
many of the problems
associated with developing
countries. Not only are there
farming cooperatives, there
are groups formed for
building bridges, schools and
houses, as well. In America,
these needs are usually met
with massive infusions of
federal, state or local
government funds. In
Guyana, citizens receive
materials from the govern
ment, and cooperatives
provide management and
labor to complete the
projects. “We’re learning a
lot about how these
cooperatives should work,”
Daw said, “and maybe
someday we can share that
knowledge with you.”
Guyana is a small country,
with only 760,000 people on
86,000 square miles. Only
about 215,000 people are
considered part of the
country’s labor pool, and
some 90 percent of the
population live on the
republic’s coastline.
About one-sixth of
Guyana’s income comes
from agriculture, and the
bulk of the rest comes from
mining. Gold and diamond
mines are factors in the
country’s economy, but
bauxite, or aluminum ore, is
by far the biggest revenue
producer. The bauxite in
dustry was nationalized
some years ago, and the
Guyanians are trying to heal
the ugly scars left on the
landscape by the mining
companies.
Rice, sugar cane and
coconuts are the principal
agricultural products. Daw
said his countrymen are
striving for self-sufficiency
in milk and meat production,
but the cattle in this tropical
climate are hampered by
pests and by the lack of
feedgrains. Both dairy and
beef animals are pastured
throughout the year.
In 1961, Guyana’s cattle
population was decimated by
a foot-and-mouth disease
epidemic, and a flood in 1969
wiped out large .numbers of
animals. The government is
now working with 20 cattle
ranches in an attempt to
build up the industry.
Holsteins are being imported
from America, and beef
breeds such as Angus,
Hereford, Charolais and
Santa Gertrudis are being
crossed with Zebu, a tropical
breed.
Daw has been impressed
by what he’s seen of Lan
caster County farming.
‘‘There are some parallels
here with farms in Guyana,”
he said. “We have many
small farms, some as few as
ten acres, or even less.
Others are more the size of
farms here, maybe 50 to 200
acres. Farmers here are
both more intensive and
extensive than our farmers.
They’re organized better and
they’re able to carry out a
diversified farm program.
We must teach our farmers
how to do that.
“One problem we’ve been
having is that the smaller
farmers' are often over
mechanized. They’re selling
their oxen and buying
tractors which are too big for
the number of acres they
have. We hope that through
cooperative buying, many of
these small farmers will
band together to buy tractors
and share them.”
Daw will be in the county
another week, then he’ll go to
Penn State for a week, then
to Washington, D. C. for
another week and then
home. The first four months
of his U. S. stay were spent at
the University of Texas in
Austin.
When he returns home, expecting one,” he laughed,
Daw will see for the first “Me the first time.” The
time the twin boys his wife Daws also have a 22-month
bore in November, while he old son. "Maybe next time it
was in Texas, “I was only will be three.”
FARMERS AgCREDfT
9 East Main Street, Lititz, PA 717/626-4721