When the Rain Won’t Come, Who Helps Farmers?

The dry season is expected to hit Belizean farmers hard, and for many, the question is not just how to save their crops but how to keep their families afloat. With a forecast showing below normal rainfall between June and August, the government has started the “Anticipatory Action” plan, which comes in the form of cash assistance to some selected farmers. With prices rising and help limited, can Belize’s small farmers afford to keep going?

 

Zenida Lanza, Reporting 

Belize’s farmers are bracing for a tough dry season. The forecast warns rainfall could drop well below normal between June and August, serious enough to trigger a first‑of‑its‑kind “Anticipatory Action” relief program in the Caribbean. But while government assistance is on the way for some, many farmers weather the dry seasons entirely on their own.

 

Abner Cienfuegos, Farmer

“But from seeing the dry we’ve already been having, it takes a toll on the plants. Having to water more, of course, causes us more gas. And gas prices going up extremely high causes us more money to have to provide for these produce. And then when we come to market, people want the cheapest prices. And it’s hard for us to give higher prices, but we have to pay out our pockets higher prices as well. But we as farmers and working with older farmers, as Mr. Alberto here, has helped me a lot to be able to continue without the funds of the government, to be able to push on through with what we have and work with.”

 

Abner says he has received some assistance through a different government program, but credits much of his ability to push through thanks to the guidance of his mentor, forty-year farming veteran Alberto Villanueva. Alberto, however, says government funding has not reached him recently.

 

Alberto Villanueva, Farmer

“No. I haven’t gotten any recently, no. But I did get some before. Do you think it’s important for farmers to get these type of cash assistance? Yes, it does, because we produce less in this time. So it would always be helpful for our family to maintain our bills and everything. Yes, we do need the cash.”

 

That need is exactly what a new partnership between the Ministry of Agriculture, the National Meteorological Service, and the World Food Program is trying to address. The trigger was activated just weeks ago, and four hundred and nineteen preselected farmers across Cayo, Orange Walk, and Corozal are set to receive four hundred Belize dollars each through Western Union. No receipts required. No repayment expected.

 

Andrew Mejia, Director of Extension, Ministry of Agriculture

“They will be getting their $400 via Western Union, and it’s for them to prepare, buy whatever drought resistant seeds, fertilizers, irrigation equipment. It’s not a lot, but it will help the small farmers of Belize. This is grant money. They don’t have to pay it back. They don’t have to provide receipts as to where they spend or what they spend it. But we as a ministry will be following up with them to see basically what they bought with the money and how they utilize it, and if it was able to assist them when the drought comes between the months that I identified earlier.”

 

But not every farmer made the list. To qualify, farmers had to be registered in the government’s Belize Agriculture Information Management System, manage between half an acre and three acres, and be located within the three covered districts. Some farmers say they simply did not know such programs existed. Lower Barton Creek farmer Alex Spice is one of them, and he is not waiting on anyone.

 

Alex Spice, Farmer

“I’m really not familiar with all these programs. We registered our farm, so we pay tax officially every month. And I’m a guy, you know, I’m not like so run and ask for supports, really. So, I try to make my life with my hands. And so, I don’t know if they have some programs. I’m this guy would never go and ask, you know.”

 

Alex has the advantage of supplementing his income by importing produce from Mexico during the lean months. But for farmers without that option, the stakes are much higher. Farmer Olaya Salam put it plainly.

 

Olaya Salam, Farmer

“Yes, that farmers need a lot because they will appreciate that if the government will help them.”

 

Some farmers say they’re being left behind. One Stann Creek farmer told News Five they’ve repeatedly missed out on government support, while others struggle just to access available funds. The Agriculture Ministry says register and contact an extension officer, but for farmers already battling drought and rising costs, that’s easier said than done. Reporting for News Five, I am Zenida Lanza.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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