giahs-workshop mexico city april 28th-30th, 2016
TRANSCRIPT
GIAHS-WORKSHOP Mexico City
April 28th-30th, 2016
Emilio Montero BELIZE
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, Environment and Sustainable Development
Mennonite Community of Belize
Farming & Agriculture • The Mennonites in Belize come from Russian
Mennonite groups who initially emigrated from Russia and moved to Canada in early 1900s.
• The government in Belize was open to bringing in agricultural colonists so arrangements were made on both ends, and a group of Mennonites visited to examine the area.
They have now been settled in Belize for over fifty years and although many of the communities use horse drawn power to operate the ploughs and saw mills or water power from rivers to run light machinery the traditional groups will not use electricity or motor vehicles, choosing instead to travel on horse drawn covered wagons along dirt roads between their communities.
In a written agreement, the government of British Honduras granted the Mennonites several things that helped maintain their tradition:
- The right to run their own churches and schools with their own teachers and language - An exemption from making the traditional immigration deposits - Exemption from the military - Freedom to enter or leave the country with their money and property - An exemption from social security
Several guidelines that the Mennonites must adhere to:
- The responsibility of paying all the costs of establishment - Providing and farming food not only for themselves but also for the local markets - Observe and obey the laws of the country - Pay all regular taxes, just as a native citizen would
In the early days, clearing large areas for farming with a Caterpillar was expensive, so they adapted to the poor man’s way of farming. This involved: involved cutting the jungle right at the start of the dry season and waiting for the rest of the brush to dry. A pointed stick was used to dig holes to plant corn and during the harvest, the corn was picked by hand. Adapting to the new climate conditions for the farmers as well as learning what type of food to grow and how to control the diseases that struck the crops. From the late 1950s until the present day, corn and beans have been the major crops that farmers in Spanish Lookout have grown. Corn is currently the number one item produced in volume but the farmers are also invested in chicken raising, the grain industry, and dairy farming.
Their goal in all of this is to keep the same “farm-spirited” attitude of their
forefathers while also allowing new innovations
to take them to new, more prosperous levels.
Part of the mission at Spanish Lookout is to maintain a good relationship with the natives of Belize. This involves providing them with jobs and teaching them methods of farming. While the farmers currently are selling to local markets, they are looking into becoming involved in the world market and would like to go into bigger scale farming.
Threats & Problems
Actions/Activities Expected results
Climate Change/ Variability
Technical support from GOB
Planting season
Competition-markets
Support from Ministry of Agriculture (MoA)
GOB ensures markets
Agriculture expansion/diversification
Support from MoA Food Security
Diseases-pests Support from MoA Decreased threats of pests
