Nine smallholder farmers from the Brownsweg and Upper Suriname regions recently completed a two-day intensive training program focused on sustainable agricultural practices at Djankakondre, a small rural community in central Suriname. Organized under the banner of Tropenbos Suriname’s Agroforestry Farmer Field School initiative, the workshop received full funding from energy firm TotalEnergies, marking a public-private partnership focused on rural development and environmental conservation.
The core focus of this training was twofold: educating participants on the responsible application of crop protection chemicals, and highlighting the growing importance of supply chain traceability for agricultural products. The entire initiative is designed to support local farmers as they transition away from traditional slash-and-burn shifting cultivation, a long-practiced method that has contributed to widespread soil degradation and deforestation across the region. In its place, the program promotes agroforestry, an integrated land management system that combines food crop cultivation with strategic tree planting.
Capacity building for local rural communities stands as a central pillar of the broader Agroforestry Farmer Field School project. To deliver consistent, hands-on learning, a dedicated training center has been constructed in Djankakondre, outfitted with all the infrastructure and tools required to provide practical, on-site guidance to participating farmers.
This most recent training session was led by agricultural specialist Natali Waal. Waal walked participants through best practices for safe, sustainable chemical crop protection, emphasizing reduced usage and environmental protection, before breaking down the value of traceability in modern agricultural supply chains. According to event organizers, traceability has become an increasingly critical requirement for regional and international buyers, as consumers increasingly demand transparency around the origin and production conditions of the food they purchase.
Proponents of the agroforestry model highlight its multiple long-term benefits: the mixed crop-and-tree system prevents soil nutrient depletion that plagues repeated shifting cultivation, protects native biodiversity by preserving tree cover, and creates more stable, diversified income streams for farming households that are less vulnerable to climate shocks and market fluctuations. With new skills in hand and expanded training infrastructure now available locally, participating farmers are far better positioned to complete their transition to this sustainable, forest-friendly model of agriculture, laying the groundwork for broader adoption across other Surinamese rural communities.