A Kids’ Summer Camp to Revive a “Dying” Agriculture Industry 

Fewer young Belizeans are choosing careers in agriculture, but one summer camp at Central Farm is trying to change that.

The Cayo Central Youth in Agriculture Summer Camp wrapped up with a certificate distribution ceremony on Friday. It capped off a week that introduced 116 kids to crop production, livestock management, aquaculture, agro-processing, and beekeeping.

Classrooms were replaced with fish ponds, gardens, and livestock pens, as kids in green camp t-shirts walked through the compound and got hands-on demonstrations.

Area Representative for Cayo Central and Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture, Alex Balona, said this year’s turnout exceeded expectations. “Last year we did 103, and this year we had 116 participating by the end of the week. So I am very happy,” Balona said.

Balona said the growing turnout is encouraging because the camp’s mission is to introduce children to farming early, at a time when, he says, Belize is “losing farmers”. 

A Kids’ Summer Camp to Revive a “Dying” Agriculture Industry“The interest in agriculture is dying. There are many contributing factors… Without farmers, our tables will not be set for us. So that is what I am pushing to sensitise our children so that by the time they get into their adolescent years and they go to high school, they can choose to do agriculture,” Balona added.

Twelve-year-old Gabriella Hall said tilapia farming was her favourite part. “We got to see the types, like the red and the grey, and they were really beautiful,” she said, adding that she could see herself pursuing agriculture down the road.

Meanwhile, another young participant, Rayanne Requena, is now considering marine biology or veterinary studies, drawn in by the aquaculture sessions. “I enjoyed the aquaculture, and I love the agroprocessing… the camp showed you how you can turn one simple thing into something more than it actually is. Like, it adds value into something, and I think that’s pretty cool,” she said.

Aquim Canto already comes from a farming family, but he said the camp gave him even more reason to continue that tradition. “Planting is important because you get to produce more fruits and vegetables so people can buy and eat. That’s why I came to learn more, so when I go home, I’m boosted more,” he said. 

The camp is expected to expand next year. Balona said he wants to bring the Belize Agricultural Health Authority (BAHA) on board next year to teach children about the veterinary needs of livestock.

Participant Nayanni Maree encourages more kids to take part in the camp in the future. She said, “It’s great, and you will enjoy it here, and you should come, because you’re gonna learn something new, and it will be so much fun.”