Belize Calls for Regional Unity at 39th FAO Conference

Belize used the opening of the Senior Officers Meeting at the 39th Regional Conference for the Americas of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to call for stronger regional collaboration to ensure the survival of small states.

Representing Belize is Minister of Agriculture Rodwell Ferguson, who is pointing to the contrast between larger nations in the hemisphere and small Caribbean states. He said, “Some of us are large countries… Belize is only 400,000,” He questioned whether all member states are truly benefiting equally from regional cooperation. “As a group, we must ask the question if all of us are surviving as a nation,” he stated.

Ferguson stressed that survival, particularly economic and agricultural survival, must be at the center of regional discussions. He highlighted ongoing challenges in finding reliable markets for Belizean produce and suggested that stronger coordination among countries could improve trade within the region. “If there is an organization to put everything together, taking produce from Belize, Barbados, St. Kitts and bigger countries, then there should be survival of the region,” he said.

The minister also raised concerns about the future of agriculture, noting that fewer young people are entering the sector. “When you are gone, who will take over? Food is a priority for every human being to survive,” Ferguson warned, calling for policies that make agriculture more attractive to youth.

The event is taking place in Brazil and concludes on Friday.