Implementing Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) for Vegetable Producers in Guyana

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Consumers today are more knowledgeable and interested in healthy eating than before, and this leads to a growing demand for locally produced fresh fruits and vegetables. Hence, keeping food safe and fresh is important to support healthy lifestyles and it is necessary for farmers to adopt procedures and skills that are compliant with Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs). 


The National Agricultural Research & Extension Institute (NAREI), which is Guyana’s premier organization responsible for spearheading agricultural research and extension, has the responsibility for providing GAPs certification to farmers through the National Plant Protection Department. However, the Department lacks the technical capacity and therefore requested a Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer to assess the present practices of shade house and infield vegetable producers, and teach them about GAPs that should be adopted; with a view of supporting the development of a GAP certification program in Guyana. 

Lydia Lee Stivers, former County Extension Director of the Penn State Extension Service in Pennsylvania and GAPs Certification Specialist, was chosen as the volunteer for this assignment. She trained 15 Extension Officers and more than 50 shade house producers from Regions 3, 4, 5 and 6. She covered the following topics: 
  • What are GAPs? 
  • Why are GAPS important? 
  • GAPs and food safety 
  • Safety challenges for farm produce 
  • Microorganisms of concern in fresh produce 
  • What can be done to prevent contamination of fresh produce? 

Lydia’s training sessions were enhanced through several field trips where she interacted with farmers and shared with them basic GAP principles. Thanks to her support, farmers are now equipped with the basic tools to produce better quality fresh fruits and vegetables. 

Upon conclusion of her assignment, Lydia commented that her experience in Guyana had been a wonderful opportunity for her, personally and professionally: “I have thoroughly enjoyed touring through the towns and rural areas along the coastal regions, meeting so many gracious and hard-working people. This has also been very valuable experience for me in my work in the area of GAPs training with diverse and international audiences. Working with growers and staff from Partners of the Americas and NAREI over these two weeks, I am struck once again by how we are all wrestling with essentially the same problems, no matter where we come from”.

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