Sustainable agriculture and the development of the Amerindians in Guyana: the case of the Mabaryna/Hosororo organic cocoa project

This study examines an organic cocoa project in Guyana in order to determine the prospects for development of an indigenous people in the hinterland area of Hosororo. The cultural practices of Amerindian farming communities are examined historically to glean the differences in circumstances and the nature of their agriculture. This approach facilitated an understanding of how the cocoa project can replicate and improve on the early farming systems and thereby foster the development of the Amerindians. The main objectives of the project are to expand cocoa production for export and to use the model to develop other organic agricultural crops. The project has the ability to contribute to the development of the Amerindian community as well as to overall agricultural development, provided the constraints identified in the paper are overcome.