Agricultural and food policies for Belize: towards a more competitive and sustainable agriculture in the 21st century
1999
Belize has a farming population, of about 11,000 farmers operating a total land area of 265,000 acres (5 percent of the total land area), of which 146,000 acres are for crops and 119,000 acres under pasture. Small farmers (those with less than 10 acres) account for more then 75 percent of all farmers. They include a large number of milpa farmers in which Maya Indians and inmigrants from Central America contribute to domestic food production as well as being an important source of labor for the citrus, banana and other agricultural industries. Small farms with permanent crops and to a lesser extent livestock predominate in northen Belize (Corozal and Orange Walk). In the Belize district, cattle, rice, vegetables and fruits are the main commodities, produced while in the western part (Cayo and part of Orange Creek district, citrus, bananas and to a lesser extent root crops and livestock are the main production activities. In the south (Toledo district), the majority of farmers still practice milpa agriculture - traditional slash and burn methods to produce mainly corn and beans for home consumption, with rice cultivated as a cash crop. (MV)
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