Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) and Guyana Economic Development Trust (GEDT) – a U.S. and Guyana-based programme that supports science and technology startups – on Wednesday announced the 2021 winners of the Guyana Innovation Prize.
The winners are: Greenway: A Household Indoor Farming System; Medicine from Trees: Rainforest Skin Care Products; Bio-Diamond Enterprises: A Biological Control Agent for Plant and Soil Health; Universal Stone Wall Diamond: Antimicrobials and Antidiabetic Products; and DROVER: A Solar-Powered Autonomous Farming Vehicle..
In a joint statement, GTT and GEDT said it no secret that innovation contributes to economic growth by creating more meaningful goods and services.
“Guyana’s economic development comes from more than just our abundant natural resources. We have outstanding human capital; our people are the real source of our wealth, in every and all industries. This year’s Guyana Innovation Prize winning ideas are a perfect example of how our citizens are creating a scientifically- and technologically-oriented society that will help us to further advance as a country and larger world. We’re proud to support them through this initiative,” said Orson Ferguson, Chief Marketing Officer, of GTT.
Oslene Carrington, CEO of GEDT, said the competition has been in existence for the past four years, and every year, it gets better, with innovative ideas coming from all parts of Guyana.
“They come from all over Guyana, including our Indigenous communities in Guyana’s rainforest and savannah regions. We’re excited to announce them and their potential contribution to sustainable economic development in Guyana,” Carrington said.
Greenway is a compact household farming system (HFS). It is a clean, space efficient, self-watering, self-draining device that has the capacity to grow up to sixty (60) shallow root edible plants in the home–no land needed.
Medicine from Trees, on the other hand, is an all-natural, environmentally sustainable skincare products, containing extracts of rainforest trees, made and in and by traditional communities, using traditional knowledge.
Bio-Diamond Enterprises, another winner in the competition, is a Biological Control Agent for Plant and Soil Health. It is an eco-friendly, non-toxic and all-natural approach to soil fertility that works by strengthening plants to fight disease.
Universal Stone Wall Diamond is also an all-natural treatment for skin infections caused by bacteria that results in, for example, dandruff, abscesses and other skin conditions.
Finally, DROVER is a driverless farming vehicle that can also communicate, analyse data, and use that data to drive further intelligent decisions and actions in the farming process.
