Labour shortage pushes farmers towards agricultural drones

Agriculture remains a major economic activity in Berbice (East Berbice-Corentyne), but as farmers grapple with difficulties finding workers, technology is increasingly being presented as an alternative.

The scale of the challenge was underscored on Monday, when Labour and Manpower Planning Minister Keoma Griffith, speaking at the induction of the Guyana Technical Training College’s sixth cohort at Port Mourant, cited the 2023 Guyana Workforce Assessment, as summarised by the International Labour Organisation, which projects that agriculture will require more than 12,000 additional workers by 2028.

At the just concluded Berbice Expo, that projected labour demand met one possible technological response, with agricultural drones being showcased for tasks ranging from spraying and spreading to crop monitoring.