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Abstract
The government of Suriname has prioritized development of sustainable
agricultural production in Suriname, especially in the rural areas, and has integrated the
millennium development goals in their strategies and policy vision (Van Eeckhout, 2008).
Policymakers, scientists and entrepreneurs (including farmers) are convinced that the agricultural
sector in Commewijne has potential to assist Suriname in realization of the millennium goals in
2015 so that poverty will be reduced in communities in Commewijne, and sustainable agricultural
activities must play an important role in the development of this district. To get an overall view
of the farmers' perspective on the socio-economic problems, the quality of the Agricultural
Extension service, and the bottlenecks with regard to all aspects of agricultural production, a base
line agricultural survey was developed, modified and validated by a panel of experts. With this
instrument one hundred farmers were interviewed in Commewijne and the data was analyzed using
SPSS statistics. Findings revealed the following problems: (1) drinking water is a problem for
many farmers in this district; (2) the standard of living is low; (3) shortage of water in the dry
season; (4) excessive water on the agricultural soils in rainy periods; and (5) high price fluctuations
for agricultural products. Findings also reveal that farmers are experiencing problems with: (1)
pest and disease management; (2) farm bookkeeping; and (3) insufficient technical information
about plant cultivation, and crop protection. Furthermore, farmers felt that the information from
field extension staff was insufficient with regard to pesticide education, fertilization, good
agricultural practices, integrated pest management (ΓΡΜ) and with irrigation and drainage aspects.
Recommendations include training for farmers in: GAP, FFS, weed knowledge and weed control,
farm bookkeeping and farm administration, pesticide education and pesticide control, fertilizer
education and fertilizer deficiencies of crops, and use of sustainable cultivation systems (mulching,
compost, ΓΡΜ, etc.). Furthermore, recommendations also include training of the field extension
staff on technical aspects of agricultural production.