Guyana is located on the coast of northern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, between Suriname and Venezuela. The country’s total land area is 214,969 sq km, with many of its borderlands disputed by its two neighbors. In comparison, Guyana is slightly smaller than the state of Idaho in the U.S., and about the size of Kyrgyzstan. The country’s climate is tropical, represented by hot and humid conditions, and has two rainy seasons (May-August and November-January). Of the total land area, only 2.2 percent is utilized for cultivated crops, with just 0.14 percent of the total area dedicated to permanent crops such as fruit- and nut-bearing trees. Environmental issues include deforestation and water pollution from sewage and agricultural/industrial chemicals. Guyana’s population is approximately 745,000 – an estimate that takes into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS and other infectious diseases. Though precise poverty rates are not known, it is speculated that of the nation’s 71 percent rural population, the majority are living in subsistence. It is also believed that those within the rural workforce are largely engaged in agriculture, representing 24 percent of the nation’s GDP. The remaining urban-dwelling workforce is primarily employed in the service or industry fields, which make up 52 percent and 24 percent of GDP, respectively. The Guyanese economy has exhibited moderate economic growth in recent years, based largely on agriculture and the mining industries. The economy is heavily dependent upon the export of six commodities – sugar, gold, bauxite, shrimp, timber and rice – which represent nearly 60 percent of the country's GDP and are highly susceptible to adverse weather conditions and/or fluctuations in commodity prices. In March 2007, the Inter-American Development Bank, Guyana's principal donor, canceled Guyana's nearly $470 million debt, which along with other Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) debt forgiveness brought the debt-to-GDP ratio down from 183 percent in 2006 to 120 percent in 2007. Other agricultural products from Guyana include edible oils, fish, beef, pork and poultry. The Research and Development Division is responsible for IFDC activities in Guyana.
