One hundred and two students graduated from the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA), with women accounting for nearly two-thirds of the class and 66 graduates earning credits or distinctions.
The institution’s 61st graduation ceremony recognised students who completed six programmes at its Mon Repos and Essequibo campuses. The class comprised 65 women and 37 men, representing nine of Guyana’s ten administrative regions.
Twelve graduates were from other CARICOM countries—ten from Grenada and two from Saint Lucia. Ten students who were referred in 2025 also successfully completed their programmes this year, according to a release on the ceremony.
Analesia D’Aguiar, who completed the Certificate in Forestry with a grade point average (GPA) of 3.97, the highest in the graduating class, received the Chairman’s Prize for the best graduating student in the programmes offered at the Essequibo campus.
Marlon O’Donoghue received the Chief Executive Officer’s Prize for the best graduating student in the two-year programmes at Mon Repos. He completed the Diploma in Agriculture with a GPA of 3.71.
Grenadian nationals Jacob Thomas and Adonis Jones were also recognised among the outstanding performers.
Delivering the feature address, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha said graduates needed opportunities to apply their training and establish businesses.
“But access to education must be matched by access to opportunity. That is why the Government is also working to expand opportunities for young entrepreneurs,” he said.
Mustapha pointed to financing through the Guyana Development Bank, which he said could assist eligible young entrepreneurs in establishing farms, agro-processing businesses and agricultural services.
He urged graduates to consider the range of careers available beyond traditional farming, including science, technology, business management, research, veterinary services, environmental management, logistics and marketing.
“Of the 102 graduates, 65 are women and 37 are men. This is a significant reflection of the changing face of agriculture in Guyana,” he stated.
Mustapha said agricultural education must adapt to technological advances, changing consumer expectations, competitive markets and climate change.
“Our educational institutions must therefore continue to equip students with the knowledge, practical skills, and innovative thinking needed to respond to these developments,” he said.
He welcomed the school’s re-registration with the National Accreditation Council through 2029 and highlighted partnerships with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture and EMC supporting training in hydroponics and protected agriculture.
The minister also referred to digital farm record systems, collaboration with the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute, and training for farmers and extension officers as measures linking education with research and production.
According to Mustapha, the agriculture sector grew by 11.5% in 2025, while budgetary allocations increased from $18.4 billion in 2020 to $113.2 billion in 2026. He said the spending was supporting infrastructure, technology and opportunities in crop and livestock production and agro-processing.
The GSA began operations at Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara, on September 9, 1963. Mustapha said it has produced 4,497 graduates who have served as farmers, extension officers, animal health professionals, foresters, agro-processors, researchers and agricultural leaders.
Its programmes have expanded from agriculture to include forestry, fisheries, agro-processing, animal health and veterinary public health, and livestock production and management.
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