In the Toledo District of southern Belize, 27,000 citizens endure one of the highest rates of poverty in the Western Hemisphere.  Two-thirds of households live below the indigent line and cannot provide basic needs. Vitamin A deficiency is common. Indeed, malnutrition is a persistent problem in Toledo.

 Plenty Belize's GATE (School Gardens) Program is now a holistic program focusing on many aspects of healthy development, including: Food Security; Nutrition; Health; Environment; Education; and Poverty Alleviation. 21 of the 50 primary schools in the Toledo District are now active in the Program, and one more school has requested to join the program as school starts back in September. Three of the schools are able to sustain their garden programs without regular outside support, and so have "graduated" from GATE. We expect 10 more schools will graduate during the next school year. The GATE Program is having a positive impact on the well-being of the people, communities, and the environment in Southern Belize.

 School gardens are improving the lives of the children -- they are eating better, learning better, and becoming more self-sufficient and self-confident. Many students are taking what they learn about planting in the school and growing vegetables at home -- in one class in the village of Conejo 8 of the 20 students are now growing vegetables at home.

 The traditional slash-and-burn agriculture practiced by the indigenous peoples here is a type of organic agriculture, but one that is not sustainable with population growth. As we help the agricultural practices change to accomodate the population, we respect the culture most by using organic agriculture -- a method close to the traditions of the people.

 Organic Agriculture has been shown to be beneficial to biodiversity, especially to bats and birds. (Consider pesticides that are sprayed on insects or fruit that is then consumed by bats or birds, which accumulates until it is at a toxic level). Belize boasts some 55 species of bats, and is home to more than 560 species of birds. Learning how our daily decisions affect our environment is a key element of the GATE Program.

The value of the GATE Program to the conservation of the natural resources of Belizehas recently been recognized by the Protected Areas Conservation Trust.  PACT, a Belizean non-profit organization funded mainly through a tax on foreign tourists, has approved a grant to Plenty International Belize to fully fund all GATE activities for the four GATE schools surrounding Aguacaliente Wildlife Sanctuary. An official launching ceremony for the PACT funded project will bring together villagers from Big Falls, San Antonio, San Marcos and San Pedro Columbia on the 20th of August!

 The Belize Ministry of Education is now looking at integration of agriculture into the primary school curriculum, and Plenty Belize is playing an important collaborative role in this process. Working together with the government, the schools, and the communities, we can see a day coming in the next several years where organic school gardens are the norm throughout this area.

 All of this could only happen with the past and continued support of the many donors who believe in making this world a better place for everyone. Thank you!

 Mark Miller
Executive Director
Plenty Belize
Punta Gorda Town
722-2198

Adjunct Faculty
UB Toledo Center

Read next article on the GATE program.