Project Name：Horticulture Project (Belize)

Project status：Completed projects

Cooperating Country：Central America, Belize

Project Description：

This project will assist smallholders to raise their incomes by improving cultivation techniques, decreasing the use of chemical fertilizers and reducing production costs.Overall, this project will:
1. Assist counterparts to provide guidance to farmers’ organizations through relevant training activities, and by assisting such organizations to obtain loans in support of papaya export operations, particularly by planning and auditing loan applications.
2. Provide guidance on loan operations to stakeholders involved in the papaya export sub-project.
3. Assist the Belize Agricultural Health Authority (BAHA) to establish a pesticide residue testing system; assist project counterparts to organize task force meetings; establish a field safety accreditation system for fruits and vegetables.
4. Coordinate the handover of the fruit and vegetable safety sub-project.

Project No：TCD-2010-B07-001

Implementation Start Date：2010-01-01

Implementation End Date：2013-12-31

Project Objectives：

1. Improve horticultural production techniques and reduce production costs.
2. Improve agribusiness management at smallholder organizations.
3. Increase smallholders’ incomes by improving the competitiveness of local agricultural products.
4. Establish and promote the operation of safe fruit and vegetable production systems.
5. Provide assistance toward export-oriented production; increase employment opportunities and raise foreign exchange earnings.

Executing Agency：

Taiwan Technical Mission in Belize / Ministry of Natural Resources and Agriculture (MNRA) (Belize) / Belize Agricultural Health Authority (BAHA) / Pesticide Control Bureau (PCB) (Belize) / La Immaculada Credit Union (LICU) (Belize)

Project Performance：

The project has achieved all of its objectives, with implementation yielding the following results:
1.Completed horticultural demonstration: Propagated 2,685 fruit tree seedlings; produced 17,048 kg of fruits and vegetables as part of demonstration activities for a value of US$25,572; handled 37 fruit and vegetable cultivation and management workshops, field demonstrations and exhibitions for the benefit of 6,643 people.
2.Completed agricultural extension: Provided guidance on vegetable production to a group of 33 farmers, yielding 165.7 metric tons of produce worth US$286,298 and 44.5 metric tons of organic fertilizer worth US$12,235; provided three other training sessions for 94 people.
3.Completed papaya export production: Provided guidance to 15 farmers for the trial production of papaya for export, producing 285 tons; organized loan applications for 16 papaya-producing smallholders, for loans amounting to US$306,738.
4.Completed promotion of fruit and vegetable safety: Set up a pesticide residue rapid bioassay laboratory; tested 1,713 samples; handled 10 workshops, seminars and presentations for the benefit of 244 people.

Mission：Taiwan Technical Mission in Belize