"What do you mean by food security? The politics of agrarian policy making among Indigenous communities in Guyana."

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC | Dr. Mark Chatarpal is a cultural anthropologist who specializes in Food Studies, Indigenous Studies, and Caribbean Studies. His research focuses on the intersection of food policy and Indigenous governance within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). His work critically examines how Caribbean policymakers conceptualize ‘food security’ in national policies affecting Indigenous communities and how grassroots Indigenous organizations engage these policies by creating district-based regulations that utilize Indigenous worldviews. Dr. Chatarpal has over six years of academic teaching experience in the United States, Belize, and Guyana, along with more than seven years of conducting research on food security among Indigenous groups in Guyana, Belize, and Ghana. He brings a unique blend of theoretical expertise and practical fieldwork to the field of Development Studies. Notably, he spent three years collaborating with the National Toshao Council of Guyana to redefine the term ‘agriculture’ in the 2006 Amerindian Act to align with international Indigenous rights frameworks.