Ninth International Conference on Food Studies

Abstract

Increasing food security among indigenous communities has largely been the focus of governments, multilateral organizations and other stakeholders for over four decades. Within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Guyana is commonly referred to as the region’s breadbasket yet amidst a series of agricultural initiatives in the hinterland there remains a reoccurring disconnect between policymakers and Toshaos, a title given to indigenous leaders. This paper examines how agricultural experts and policymakers at government institutions and other agencies in Georgetown, Guyana conceptualize food security in relation to cassava production, indigenous livelihoods and agrarian policymaking. Do local interpretations vary between institutions? Are these viewpoints aligned with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations? What additional openings are there to include the voices of Toshaos? With over eleven months of interviewing development experts, policymakers, and Toshaos at two branches of government and two leading indigenous rights organizations the researcher will discuss how varying interpretations of food security and cassava production directly influences national policymaking.