More than 60 coconut farmers in the Belize and Orange Walk Districts have been trained to detect and control the pests and diseases threatening their crops. The training is also scheduled to take place across the rest of the districts.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and New Growth Industries ran two-day workshops in each district in September. More than 30 farmers took part in each, including women and young farmers.
An FAO coconut pest and disease specialist led the sessions, with support from the ministry’s Fruit Tree Program, Research Unit and Extension Unit. Farmers combined classroom lectures with field exercises, learning to identify threats on actual crops.
The workshops fall under the FAO’s “One Country One Priority Product” initiative, which promotes sustainable value chains for selected agricultural products. Belize’s chosen product under that initiative is coconut.
The ministry is now scheduling sessions in the remaining districts. Coconut farmers who want to take part can register through their district agriculture office.
