Project Name：Breeding Sheep and Goat Production and Guidance System Enhancement Project

Project status：Projects in Operation

Cooperating Country：Central America, Belize

Project Description：

In the past four years of implementation of the “Genetic Improvement in Sheep and Goat Project (Belize)”, the National Sheep and Goat Breeding Center (the Center) at Central Farm was expanded and several improvements made, including:(1)expanded the sheep barn；(2)introduced three kinds of qualified breeding sheep;(3)improved and expanded paddock and pasture;(4)established commercial sheep and goat industry management Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs);and (5)increased the number of the Center’s certified breeding sheep and goat from 20 to 244 and began the supply of qualified breeding sheep and goats to farmer since 2018, gradually showing the purpose of the program. In light of this success, the Government of Belize put forward the joint Goat and Sheep Production Diversification and Business Model Enhancement Program (Belize), the main aim of which was to improve the Center’s ability to provide a stable supply of breeding sheep and goats, continue to improve the country’s sheep and goat industry overall and enhance the market connectivity to increase the incomes of sheep and goat farmers. The main contents of the program were:

1. Assist Belize in improving sheep and goat rearing quality.

2. Conduct market value chain analysis and implement a marketing program to promote consumption and market penetration for sheep and goat products.

3. Strengthened the Sheep and Goat Traceability System to improve value chain efficiencies and branding quality sheep and goat products.

Project No：TT-310-2020-028

Region：Central America

Implementation Start Date：2020-03-26

Implementation End Date：2025-03-25

Project Objectives：

1. Assist Belize in improving sheep and goat rearing quality

(1)Hold training such as workshops and observation meetings;

(2)Supply high-quality breeding sheep and goats;

(3)Train seed instructors to improve technical and information exchange.

2.Conduct market value chain analysis and implement a marketing program to promote consumption and market penetration for sheep and goat products

(1)Establish a buying and selling matching platform;

(2)Attend agricultural exhibition and auctions and promote the value added application of goat and sheep products,

(3)Value chain analysis.

3.Strengthened the Sheep and Goat Traceability System using the Belize Livestock Registry platform, which is owned by Government of Belize, to improve value chain efficiencies and branding quality sheep and goat products

(1)Train Extension personnel in traceability guidelines and procedures;

(2)Tag minimum 5,000 heads of breeding sheep and goat in the country;

(3)Public Awareness.

Executing Agency：

Taiwan Technical Mission in Belize1; Ministry of Food and Agriculture, and Immigration

Current Progress：

To the end of December 2023, this project has reached the following milestones:

1.Conducted 2 workshops, one on Sheep and Goat Nutrition Management and one on Reproductive Biotechnology, with 38 seed teachers successfully completing the training.

2.Imported 27 animals of 2 breeds (Nubian and Boer) for dairy and meat goats.

3.Conducted 11 farmer workshops, 17 farmer observation meetings, 14 sheep product evaluation sessions, and 5 workshops on the tracing system, providing training for 330 sheep farmers and 65 technicians.

4.Bred 618 lambs at the National Sheep Breeding Center since 2020.

5.Provided 533 breeding animals from the National Sheep and Goat Breeding Center to local farmers.

6.Offered technical guidance to 300 ordinary sheep and goat farmers.

7.Produced a management manual for feed pen farming.

8.Developed a manual for the sheep and goat carcass grading system.

9.Provided 80 high-quality breeding ewes and 5 rams to 20 vulnerable families in Benque Viejo Del Carmen.

10.Improved the water supply system at the National Breeding Sheep and Goat Center.

11.Conducted a lamb and mutton market study and value chain analysis.

12.Expanded the main facility at the National Breeding Sheep and Goat Center to accommodate 650 animals.

Project Contact：HO Chia-Ling

Phone：+886-2-28886038

E-mail：c.li.ho@icdf.org.tw

Projected Benefits：

Improvement in farmers’ income for sheep and goat rearing in Belize of at least 30 percent.

Mission：Taiwan Technical Mission in Belize