Minister Jose Abelardo Mai signs grant contract for the AMEXCID Sembrando Vida

Minister Jose Abelardo Mai signs grant contract for the AMEXCID Sembrando Vida
17th October 2022
Minister Jose Abelardo Mai signed today a grant contract for the AMEXCID Sembrando Vida. The grants signed amounts to $6 million Belize dollars to the Sembrando Vida project.
The signing took place at the Centro Escolar Mexico Junior College Conference Room in San Roman, Corozal. Representing the Mexican government as witness was Claudio Lara, Director of the Sembrando Vida project in Belize and Mr. Fred Roches, Corozal District Agriculture Coordinator.
The signing of the contract gives access for funds to be officially released, for the hiring of project extension officers, release of stipends to farmers, and obtaining agro-inputs to assist with the program.
Registration for the AMEXCID program will be carried out for 2,000 Belizean farmers in the coming weeks. The Sembrando Vida program is an initiative by the Mexican government that has been carried out in neighboring countries like Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador with much success.
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Bio Fertilizer Training

Two sessions were held in Yo-Creek on Bio Fertilizer to assist farmer groups in finding substitutes for fertilizers and other inputs that assist plant growth, the other session focused on soursop maintenance and propagation.
The first workshop focused on making bio-fertilizer, while the other taught farmers from Santa Martha to make bokashi, a composting method that requires only about 10 days to convert organic materials into useable material, and the nutrient value of the material is among the highest of any method of composting.
When farmers make their own bio-fertilizer from ordinary household materials, they save money in buying inputs that are imported. In today’s economy imports are sky-high in price due to factors beyond our control.
Farmers in other districts have also received training in these methods and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise continues assisting farmers in strategies to help them maximize their production and minimize costs, and to find alternative crops for domestic and export markets.
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Minister Mai met with Acting Director of OIRSA

Minister Mai met with Acting Director of OIRSA

On Friday 7th of October 2022 Minister Mai met with Acting Director of OIRSA Ing Oscar Zelaya to discuss the possibility of expanding the production of bio-control organisms at the OIRSA biological control lab in Belmopan.

The discussion also included implementing traceability in products and livestock and the biological control of Diamond Back Moth in cabbage.

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Piloting of the CARICOM Youth Development Action Plan (CYDAP) Workshop

Piloting of the CARICOM Youth Development Action Plan (CYDAP) Workshop
National Food & Nutrition Security Commission Coordinator Mr. Emilio Montero attended a workshop on the Piloting of the CARICOM Youth Development Action Plan at the NEMO Headquarters in Belmopan.
The event had presentation of the Belize National Youth Policy & Youth Mainstream Strategy, which was presented by the Director of Youth, Mr. Kevin Cadle.
Present at the event was the Hon. Rodwell Fergusson Minister of Youth, Sport & Transport, Mr. Michael Gill M&E Specialist UNICEF, Ms. Michele Small Bartley, Deputy Programme Manager for Youth Development, CARICOM.
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Covered Structure Management

Covered Structure Management
15 small producers attended a workshop on covered structure management at the Yo Creek Agric Station in the Orange Walk District.
The workshop is part of the Caricom Development Fund project, where covered structures are gifted to small producers, especially rural women and youth, with training to manage crops grown under the structures.
Training was carried out by Mr. Alberto Gutierrez, Extension Officer attached to the Orange Walk Agric Department specializing in horticulture and crops. The same training will be carried out in other districts.

Soursop Training for Cayo District Farmers

Soursop Training for Cayo District Farmers
21 farmers from the Cayo District are currently attending a one-day workshop at Central Farm on the Cultivation of Soursop. The training comes through the Sustainable Development of Resilient Value Chains – Implementation of CARICOM COVID-19 Agri-food Recovery Plan” Project, signed back in October of 2020.
This Agri-food Recovery Plan is a regional project involving Belize, Dominica, Guyana and St. Lucia with objectives of strengthening the technical, tacit and process capability of ministry staff to select and develop high potential national value chains and also to focus on one selected value chain per country.
Facilitator for the training is Dr. Abel Reboucas, an agronomist from Brazil who holds a doctorate from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil in Tropical Fruits with concentration in citrus, mangos, passion fruit, soursop, papaya, avocado and coconut.
The workshop comprised of both theory and practical aspects of Soursop Cultivation. Topics will include Physiology and Floral Biology of Soursop, Soursop Varieties, Climate and Soil Requirements, Propagation and Planting Density, Pruning, Nutrition and Fertilizers, Irrigation, Pest and Diseases, Fruit Bagging and Pre/Post Harvest.
The workshop will also be held for farmers in the northern and southern districts.

Soursop Cultivation and Management Workshop in Belize District

Soursop Cultivation and Management Workshop in Belize District

Thirty-five farmers, including potential investors and new farmers from various communities of the Belize District attended a one day theoretical and practical training in soursop cultivation and management.  The training was facilitated by FAO consultant Dr. Abel Rebocaus an agronomist from Brazil who holds a doctorate from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil in Tropical Fruits with concentration in citrus, mangos, passion fruit, soursop, papaya, avocado and coconut.

The event was held at Ayinha Farms in Lemonal Village where present was Hon. Jose Mai, who stressed on the importance of trainings to build capacity of producers as well expanding production and building a subsector guided by policies in ensuring to meet export requirements and future trade of tropical fresh fruits including soursop, pitahaya, pineapple, and citrus.

Safety Measures Advisory for Farmers in Flood Prone Areas

Safety Measures Advisory for Farmers in Flood Prone Areas
October 12, 2022:
To mitigate the potential effects of Tropical Storm Julia, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security & Enterprise hereby advises all farmers who are in low-lying and flood-prone areas to safeguard their families and livelihoods as needed.
All farmers are advised to observe the following measures:
· Crop producers are advised to
– harvest available and mature crops
– make a note of all crops planted and production amounts
– store harvested crops in cool, dry areas to avoid spoilage or losses
· Producers with tropical greenhouses or cover structures are asked to
– remove covering materials (UV plastic and anti-viral netting)
– safely store equipment and supplies
– make a note of all crops planted and production amounts, including taking pictures of the structure(s)
· Livestock producers are advised to
– temporarily relocate animals to safer areas
– ensure availability of animal feed and water
– make a count of all animals
· Farm inputs
– secure all farm machinery and farm inputs
– relocate all pesticides and pesticide containers to avoid spillage and contamination

CRESAP REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

Online course on Digital Promotion Tools

An Online course on Digital Promotion Tools was conducted during the months of April and May 2022. The workshop aimed to provide young people from the rural communities with basic knowledge on production and editing of audio-visual material to enable them to promote rural agribusiness, tourism, or agrotourism products and services.
Participants were selected in collaboration with partners Ya’axche Conservation Trust, San Antonio Women’s Cooperative and Sarteneja Alliance for Conservation and Development.
The course was delivered by professors from the Universidad de Chile, Universidad Mayor and Universidad ARCIS, with experience in the production of audio-visual content.
As a final product of the training participants produced audio-visual materials (Videos) to promote the products and services offered by agritourism experiences in their communities.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean through its Regional initiative “1000 Digital Villages in LAC”, seeks to promote Sustainable Rural Agri Business & Tourism, using digital technologies for the management, promotion and sale of services and related products.
In November the 1000 Digital Villages initiative will host a virtual fair. Within this fair, spaces for “virtual stands” will be provided for selected participants to promote their rural tourism experiences. In the case of Belize, the “Maya cultural visit” experience has been selected to showcased and participate in a virtual stand during the fair.
Videos of Participants are as follows:
Big Falls Village : Maya Cultural Visit- Edward Bardalez
San Miguel Village: Historical and Mayan Site Tours Maya Cultural Visit- Dwayne Cus
Sarteneja: Corozal Bay Eco Adventures Eco Tourism- Ivandi Perez
Punta Gorda: Eco Toursim Belize Maya Cultural Visit -Nathaniel Castillo
Punta Gorda: Eco Toursim Belize Maya Cultural Visit -Sayuri Tzul
San Antonio Village: San Antonio womens group Maya Pottery experience-Keira Mesh
San Antonio Village: San Antonio womens group Maya Pottery experience -Cindy Coc
San Antonio: San Antonio womens group Maya Pottery experience -Sarita Mai