GEORGETOWN: Partners of the Americas’ Farmer to Farmer program has invited Rutgers Professor Dr. Robin Brumfield, specialist in farm financial management and greenhouse production, to conduct training to boost the operations of hydroponic shadehouse growers in Guyana. Dr. Brumfield, who will visit from May 16th –30th, will work with hydroponic shadehouse vegetable operators from the IADB-financed Hydroponic Shadehouse Vegetable Production and Marketing Project.
The training is designed to expose growers and project staff to vegetable cost analysis, the development of enterprise budgets for vegetable crops and business planning.
“The shadehouse training provides important information for small-scale vegetable producers to monitor costs of their operations and relevant tools on how to take advantage of niche markets,” says Peggy Carlson, Farmer to Farmer Program Director.
In Guyana, hydroponics is considered a timely alternative vegetable production system of growing plants without soil, a practice being adopted by small farmers and non-farmers alike. The hydroponic technique is growing in popularity, in large part because it is possible to produce fresh, healthy vegetables throughout the year, a prospect that is attractive even to non-farmers doing gardening at home.
Dr. Robin Brumfield, who specializes in farm financial management at Rutgers, has particular expertise in shadehouse and greenhouse production and management.
“I am honored to be able to help shadehouse producers in Guyana better understand and manage their costs so that they can be more profitable,” says Brumfield.
The program is supported by the U.S. Congress and USAID as part of the U.S. foreign assistance program. Farmer to Farmer brings together agricultural professionals and practitioners from the U.S. and the Caribbean who serve as volunteers, working with farmers and agribusiness owners in Guyana, Haiti and Jamaica to identify local needs and design projects to address them.
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