In the Marowijne district of Suriname, smallholder farmers in the Perica community have grown tired of waiting for government intervention to fix their crumbling farm access road, and have taken rehabilitation into their own hands — mobilizing their own resources to launch repair work on the route that connects their production plots to regional supply chains.
The Cooperative Platform for Agricultural Development Marowijne (CPAOM), a local agricultural advocacy group, has thrown its support behind the grassroots initiative with a 10,000 Surinamese dollar contribution, handed over to participating farmers last Friday by CPAOM treasurer Umro Gangadien and board members Patricia Mansro and Leo Moese. But the organization has issued a clear warning: placing the permanent structural maintenance of critical agricultural infrastructure on the shoulders of independent producers is neither sustainable nor fair.
CPAOM has formally requested that the national government step in to provide heavy construction equipment and building materials to complete the Perica road rehabilitation, and has put forward a long-term proposal to address systemic infrastructure gaps across the district. The organization is calling for a comprehensive baseline survey of all key agricultural roads in Marowijne, which would allow authorities to develop a phased rehabilitation program prioritized by urgency and economic impact.
Poor road access has already created a cascading financial burden for local producers, CPAOM data shows. Deteriorated road surfaces drive up vehicle maintenance and repair costs for farmers who own their own transport, while those without private vehicles are forced to pay inflated third-party fees to access their plots and ship harvested goods to market. These extra overhead costs get passed through to overall production expenses, eventually pushing up retail prices for local agricultural goods — and in turn, eroding the competitive position of Surinamese producers against cheaper imported alternatives.
For their part, the Perica farmers say they are committed to taking shared responsibility for boosting local food production and regional economic development. “We are ready to roll up our sleeves to get this work done,” said Ramon Koempie, speaking on behalf of the participating farmers. “But at the same time, we expect the government to fulfill its responsibility to create the basic conditions that let farmers actually produce and do business.” Beyond functional farm access roads, the farmers also identified other critical enabling needs: improved water management, expanded access to affordable financing, better market access for their products, higher quality planting material, and strengthened knowledge and capacity building support for small producers.
CPAOM stresses that the Perica farmers’ self-led initiative should not be misconstrued as a permanent solution to Marowijne’s agricultural infrastructure crisis. The organization is pushing for government action to upgrade other high-priority agricultural roads across the district, particularly routes that connect major production zones to main arterial highways and key market distribution points. Gangadien emphasized that the group is seeking collaborative, not confrontational, engagement with public authorities. “We do not want to stand in opposition to the government,” he noted. “Instead, we want to work alongside farmers and the government to find practical, achievable solutions that work for everyone.”
Ultimately, CPAOM argues that investing in agricultural infrastructure upgrades will deliver widespread public benefits across Marowijne’s rural agrarian communities, including higher farm output, improved national food security, expanded local employment opportunities, and more sustainable income generation for smallholder producer households.