Flood-tolerant rice leads Guyana farm adaptation push

Thanks to improved farming techniques, farmer George Griffith has been able to increase of at least 12 percent his crops of rice, reports AlertNet. These techniques are seen as forms of preparation and adaptation to deal with unpredictable weather conditions. Efforts to improve drainage have helped address the problem of flooding in Guyana: "Even if there is flooding, it would not override the banks. You have to ensure before the crop is put in that these necessary facilities are in place," Griffith said.

Furthermore, Dharamkumar Seeraj, general secretary of Guyana’s Rice Producers Association, said that his organisation made some research for better adapted varieties of rice, such as GRDB 10, to withstand floods as well as dry conditions. "Right now we have some strains that we are testing under flooded conditions and these have demonstrated the ability to stay under water for between seven and nine days. They go into a state of hibernation, more or less," Seeraj said.