The Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) has outlined a series of recommendations aimed at ensuring Guyana has the requisite tools in place for the recovery of its agriculture sector in the face of disasters.
It was outlined that the Caribbean region, including Guyana, faces significant vulnerability to disasters, with economic damages averaging 3.6 percent of the regional Gross Domestic Product annually. To address this, the global body said resilient recovery planning and investments have become paramount, requiring the assessment and enhancement of capacity to ensure rapid restoration of services, economic activities, and infrastructure.
Its recommendations to achieve the foregoing are detailed in a recent Sectoral Recovery Capacity Assessment (SRCA) report developed by the Canada-Caribbean Resilience Facility (CRF) and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA). By focusing on governance, competencies, and resources and tools, the SRCA offers a roadmap for strengthening disaster resilience in Guyana’s agriculture sector.
“Institutional readiness is paramount for effective disaster recovery,” the report stated. It suggested the development of a National Recovery Strategy that integrates resilience-building measures, gender, and disability considerations. Additionally, the report calls for the establishment of establish tools and mechanisms for sectoral authorities to coordinate recovery strategies and enhance the enforcement of relevant legislation, particularly regarding building codes and gender integration.
The report also notes that resilient infrastructure is imperative for withstanding the impact of disasters and recommended identifying and prioritizing infrastructure in need of reconstruction. It also called for the strengthening of building codes to follow the Build Back Better approach.
Financial readiness is another critical aspect of disaster resilience according to the GFDRR. In this regard, it urged the acceleration of the approval of the Disaster Risk Management Bill to establish the Disaster Risk Management Fund. Additionally, a needs assessment of the sector’s budget is recommended, including the exploration of contingent annual recovery allocations.
By implementing the GFDRR recommendations outlined in the report, it is believed Guyana’s readiness, and that of the wider region, can be significantly enhanced to support resilient recovery in the agriculture sector, thereby safeguarding livelihoods and ensuring sustainable development in the face of disasters.
