Mexico Sends Money to Belizean Farmers

Approximately two thousand farmers from across the country benefited today from ATM cards that will provide them with funds to expand their farming projects. The funds, amounting to two thousand dollars for each of the two thousand farmers, come from the Mexican government through a project called Sembrando Vida. Pantaleon Escobar is the national coordinator of the Sembrando Vida Belize Initiative.

Pantaleon Escobar

Pantaleon Escobar, National Coordinator, Sembrando Vida Belize Initiative

“The Sembrando Vida project is sponsored by the Government of Mexico, in collaboration with the Government of Belize and a specific agriculture department. We have been working together hand in hand to teach farmers in the communities about different techniques. For example, we are promoting how to make our own products organic, on pesticides, organic fertilizer, from local materials. The project has three components. Component number one is about education. We call it education because it’s where we educate farmers how to make the products. This situation in a global level is sometime an economic crisis, killing our small farmers. And then we have built 20 bio-fabricas. We call it bio-fabricas because it is a place where the project has been supporting with some local materials to the farmers. And then the farmers come in groups and produce their products. And the good thing is that of taking ownership of that bio-fabrica because the project provides the materials and then the farmers develop the project and take care of the products and the building. Then the good things also – the farmers take the products after they make them and use on their farms.”