Belmopan, October 4, 2022. 2:15 p.m.
Today, a memorandum of agreement (MOA) was signed between the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Rural Transformation, Community Development, Labour and Local Government for the continuation of component one of the Resilient Rural Belize (RRB) program.
Dr. Osmond Martinez, CEO in the Ministry of Economic Development, and Mr. Valentino Shal, CEO in the Ministry of Rural Transformation, Community Development, Labour and Local Government, signed the MOA on behalf of their respective ministries. Dr. Geraldo Flowers, RRB Programme Manager, and Ms. Elsa Cardinez, the National Coordinator for the Rural Development Department, witnessed the signing.
Through this MOA, together with the RRB, both ministries will engage in collaborative actions aimed at increasing access to irrigation services to support rural small farmers. For the remainder of the 2022 fiscal year, this agreement will allow seven farming cooperatives to have access to geophysical resistivity testing, drilling and the construction of water wells by the Ministry of Rural Transformation ─ the first being constructed in November ─ with plans to increase this number in the upcoming fiscal year.
The irrigation wells will be constructed for farming cooperatives in the following communities:
- Concepción Village, Corozal District
- Xaibe Village, Corozal District
- Seven Miles El Progresso Village, Cayo District
- Trio Village, Toledo District
- San Jose Village, Toledo District
- Cow Pen Village, Stann Creek District
- Maskall Village, Belize District
The Government of Belize is committed to its Plan Belize mandate and acknowledges programs such as the RRB, the importance of minimizing the impact of climate change and increasing economic activities on smallholder farmers while supporting sustainable market access for their produce.
Ends
For more information, contact:
Dr. Geraldo Flowers
Programme Manager
Resilient Rural Belize
