Guyana Welcomes Soil Survey after almost 3 decades
The Partnership Initiative for Sustainable Land Management (PISLM), in collaboration with the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC), and the University of the West Indies (UWI) – St. Augustine commenced their first National Soil Survey in Guyana on January 13, 2025.
Based on a recent post made by PISLM’s Facebook page and website, this is the first National Soil Survey held in guyana after almost 30 years with the intent of the survey focused on covering all 10 regions of Guyana to accumulate samples of soil, fertility along with its conditions like soil nutrients and carbon.
Adding to that, the programme has been rolled out in 8 countries, namely Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica and St. Lucia and is the fruition of the ‘Regional Laboratory and Data Interpretation Training’ held on December 9 to December 13, 2024, at the UWI, St. Augustine Campus in Trinidad and Tobago.
The survey would be led by Dr. Gaius Eudoxie from the UWI and David Fredericks from NAREI teamed together with 32 surveyors across the length and breadth of Guyana.
The survey is a component of the Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) multicounty soil management initiative for integrated landscape restoration and sustainable food systems phase 1, known as Soil Care.
This is a substantial progression and development on Guyana’s part as it focuses on advancing sustainable soil and land management to build on Guyana’s Land Degradation Neutrality Targets and to improve their reporting to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
This project that is being executed regionally is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and is being carried out by PILSM along with the Food and Agriculture Organization as the implementing agency.
