Youths Engage in Agriculture Summer Camp 2019

The Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with the Police Department is once again hosting its two weeks Youths Engage in Agriculture Summer Camp 2019. The event started on July 1^st, 2019, with an opening ceremony held at the National Agriculture and Trade Showgrounds, Belmopan.

Guess speakers at the event were the Minister of Agriculture the Hon. Godwin Hulse, Mayor of Belmopan His Worship Khalid Belisle, Chief Agriculture Officer Mr. Andrew Harrison and Mr. Linden Flowers Senior Superintendent of Police.

With an ageing population of farmers, agriculture needs to attract more young people, and through this medium, the summer camp initiated to improve the image of agriculture as cool, profitable and attractive career for youths.

Youths that are participating are from the various town and villages in the Cayo and Belize District. Activities for the two weeks event will cover field visits to Spanish Lookout, Central Farm and Banana Bank, a hands-on practical training for students and conclude with a kid’s rodeo on July the 13th, 2019.

The first annual Youth Engage in Agriculture (YEA) summer camp was held in August 2016 at the National Agriculture and Trade Showgrounds, since then the summer camp has grown to attract as many as 260 students. The objective of the Ministry is to extend the summer camp to the rest of the various districts.

International Day of Cooperatives 2019

On the 05th of July 2019, the Cooperative Department under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture celebrated its 97th International Day of Cooperatives under the theme “Coops 4 Decent Work,” at the San Ignacio Welcome Center.

The aim of the celebration was to increase awareness of cooperatives. The day highlighted the complementary goals and objectives of the United Nations (UN) and the international cooperative movement in finding a resolution for the major problems addressed by the UN in strengthening and extending partnerships between the international cooperative movement and other actors.

This year’s theme is a fundamental mechanism for inclusion and social justice. Making decent work a reality for all is embedded in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Considering today’s relatively high unemployment levels, particularly among the youth, increased job insecurity, and widening inequalities, the 2019 Coops Day theme is purposefully linked on “promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.”

In Belize, there are currently 66 active cooperative enterprises. Fifty-seven (57) of them are registered cooperatives, three are in a status called pre-cooperative, and the remaining six are aspirants in the middle stages of development. By industrial sector, 30 are engaged in agriculture, 17 in transportation, and the remainder spread over fishing, arts & crafts, consumer, and tourism, among others. Total members consist of 2,800, with most of them being male ranking from ages 31 to 40 years.

Cooperatives, as people-centered enterprises and key development actors, have a strong role to play in creating decent jobs and empowering local communities both economically and socially.

Small Hive Beetle Advisory #4 Belize

The small hive beetle, Aethina tumida, is a scavenger and parasite of honey bee colonies. The beetle is native to Africa, but was introduced to the US (1996), Canada (2002), Australia (2002), Jamaica (2005), Mexico (2007), Cuba (2012), Salvador (2013), Nicaragua (2014), Costa Rica (2015) and Belize (2016) mainly by commercial movement of bees. It is highly suspected that the incursion of the small hive beetle into northern Belize is due to the illegal trade of Honey Bee products, equipment and materials.

Considered a minor pest in its home range, the small hive beetle has become a major problem in introduced areas. Both adult and larval beetles feed on larvae, pollen, honey and bee brood. The adult female lays her eggs in the hive. The larvae hatch and feed on brood, pollen and honey, then leave the hive to pupate in the soil, where the adults hatch, then fly to look for new hives. Spread can therefore be rapid, as the adults have a range of approximately 13 kilometers. When infestation is heavy, the bees may desert the hive.

A good management by beekeepers is necessary to protect against A. tumida. Maintenance of strong colonies and good husbandry are key elements. Therefore, the most effective control against small hive beetle is maintaining colony strength, coupled with minimizing empty frames of comb, reducing small hive beetle population with the placement of traps containing a broad spectrum insecticide only accessible by the small hive beetle and to discontinue the illegal importation of Honey Bee products, equipment and materials. The diagnosis is made by identifying adult beetles in the hive.

The Ministry of Agriculture in coordination with BAHA and OIRSA will continue providing support to beekeepers in the control of this devastating pest.

Beekeepers are advised to contact Mr. Mario Howe (626-6059) of The Ministry of Agriculture or Dr. Joe Myers (601-6890) of BAHA for any further information.

Closing Ceremony for the Conclusion of the Five Days Train-the-Trainers Workshop on Climate-Smart Agriculture

Belmopan. June 21st, 2019. The Minister of Agriculture Senator Hon. Godwin Hulse and UNDP Country Office Resident Representative a.i. Mr. Aldo Garcia issued Certificate of Completion to forty-four participants who attended a five-day Train-the-Trainers Workshop on Climate-Smart Agriculture. The closing ceremony was held at the Administrative and Technical Conference Room, National Agriculture and Trade Showground Belmopan.

The training which commenced on Monday, June 17, 2019, was through a collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the Japan-Caribbean Climate Change Partnership (J-CCCP). Facilitators for the training were personnel from Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE).

The training objective was to strengthen the capacity of Extension and Cooperative Officers from the Ministry of Agriculture, lead farmers and high school teachers. The sessions consisted of theory and practical, centered on the use and implementation of Climate Smart Agriculture and Farmer Field School methodology approach.

Climate Smart Agriculture is a variation of agricultural best practices that has been transformed and reoriented to support development and ensure food security in the face of climate change. CSA aims to tackle three main objectives: sustainably increasing agricultural productivity and farmers’ incomes, adapting and building resilience to climate change, and reducing and/or removing greenhouse gas emissions.

The Formation of the Belize Parliamentary Alliance against Hunger and Malnutrition

On Wednesday, June 12th, 2019 Speaker of the House the Hon. Laura Longsworth hosted a sensitization meeting on the formation of the Belize Parliamentary Alliance against Hunger and Malnutrition. The meeting was held at the National Assembly Building in Belmopan.

The objective of the meeting was to inform members of their roles and responsibilities as Belize joins the region in the fight against hunger and malnutrition.

Present at the meeting was Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Patrick Faber, Speaker of the House Hon. Laura Longsworth, members of the House of Representatives and the Senate, and representatives from the Ministries of Agriculture and Health.