St. Ignatius is an Indigenous village in Central Rupununi, Upper Takatu-Upper Essequibo (Region 9). It lies along the right bank of the Takatu River, a few hundred meters south of Lethem. St. Ignatius has a large population of 2,152. As such, it received G$ 35,000,000 from Guyana’s sale of carbon credits through the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) for 2023. The villagers strategically decided to invest their allocation in three distinct projects to address important economic, food security, and education needs as depicted below.
The village’s 3 LCDS developmental projects for 2023 are as follows: construction of a farine factory; extension of the primary school’s hot meal kitchen; and acquisition of a dump truck. Challenges in readily avaialble food supply in St. Ignatius is an issue that is exacerbated during the dry season. In an effort to address the food shortage in the village, residents agreed to build a farine factory for G$ 14 million.. In addition to boosting food security, this investment will stimulate cassava production (60+ farmers), create employment, generate revenue from the sale of farine, and sustain the tradition of cassava processing for future generations
The facilities and accommodation at the village’s primary school hot meal kitchen became inadequate to cater for the school’s growing population. Over G$ 5 million was utilised to extend and furnish the space. Several equipment and appliances were also upgraded to modernise the kitchen, simplify meal preparation, and cater to more students.
St. Ignatius purchased a dump truck for G$ 15 million to transport sand and gravel. This project will provide the service to residents at a lower price and simultaneously earn money for the village to fund other priority projects.
“We usually need to buy farine from Brazil or neighbouring villages. Now that we have our own factory, we will be able to get farine easier and cheaper. The farine factory will provide a lot of jobs and opportunities for the people. I rear pigs, so I will benefit from the factory’s cassava peel to feed my pigs. This will make the livestock rearing more profitable for me and my family” – Mr Hilton Griffith
“I am the contractor for the farine factory. The money I earned from the project was a big help to me and my family. The carbon credits are really making a difference and helping villages like St. Ignatius. I look forward to more opportunities with the carbon credits” – Mr Mervil Waldron
Mr Winston Loventino is St. Ignatius’s Toshao. He appreciates the Government of Guyana for empowering Indigenous people across the country to take the lead on the development of their villages and communities.
He explained that St. Ignatius’s farine factory positions the village as a cassava processing hub. The factory enables the village to expand the market for cassava which would stimulate this commodity’s supply. In turn, the factory would transform the cassava into value-added, consumable products for the public. So, it provides a holistic solution to food security, job creation, and income generation.
Toshao is pleased with the enhancements to the kitchen and the resultant benefits to the students. He looks forward to the operationalisation of their dump truck and the continuation of the impactful carbon credit programme.
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