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Peanut farming in the rural interior of Guyana

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 October 2015

A.H. Cho*
Affiliation:
Agronomy Department, University of Florida, P.O. Box 110500, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
G.E. MacDonald
Affiliation:
Agronomy Department, University of Florida, P.O. Box 110500, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
J.T. Williams
Affiliation:
Peanut Collaborative Research and Support Program, University of Georgia-Griffin, Griffin, GA 30223, USA.
E.D. Isele
Affiliation:
Sustainable Development Practice, University of Florida, P.O. Box 115560, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
*
*Corresponding author: alycho@ufl.edu

Abstract

Farmers of Aranaputa Valley village in the rural interior of Guyana rely on peanut as their primary cash crop. The focus of this study was to document current peanut farming practices in this community. Household surveys and informal interviews were conducted in 2012 to evaluate the 2011 farming season. Farmers relied on distant markets or the community development council for agricultural inputs. More than half of farmers were selling their peanut crop to truck drivers who pass through their community, while 35% sold their peanut crop to the local peanut butter cottage industry. Interviewees indicated the desire for new peanut varieties to produce in their farming systems, suggesting the potential for adoption of new varieties recently evaluated in the region. These results suggest a need for additional agricultural research in the region and development projects that can assist in closing the gap of market accessibility; both for inputs and farm sales.

Type
From the Field
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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References

NRDDB. 2010. Aranaputa Village information, North Rupununi District Development Board. http://nrddb.org/taxonomy/term/3 (accessed July 3, 2013).Google Scholar