Six years ago, the idea of enhancing the Belizean sugar industry’s resilience to climate change was merely a vision. Today, more than 5,000 sugarcane farmers in northern Belize are set to benefit from the “Building the Adaptive Capacity of Sugarcane Farmers in Northern Belize” (BAC-SuF) project, which launched in February.
The initiative originated in 2020, when Belize Sugar Industries (BSI) collaborated with the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) and other industry stakeholders to design a project aimed at bolstering climate resilience within the industry. In March 2024, the project received approval from the Board of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), securing US$25,000,000 in funding, supplemented by an additional US$13,800,000 from industry counterpart sources.
“This historic investment is the largest in the northern sugar industry, greatly benefiting Belize’s cane farmers,” said Olivia Avilez, Cane Farmer Relations Manager.
The CCCCC is implementing the project, working alongside partners from the northern sugar industry, which, in addition to BSI, includes the Sugar Industry Research and Development Institute (SIRDI) and four cane farmer associations.
The project aims to achieve three main outcomes to transform the Belize sugarcane industry:
1. Improve crop diversity and farming practices to reduce climate risk and adaptive capacity.
2. Implement sustainable water and land management techniques to boost productivity and ensure a reliable supply chain.
3. Strengthen transformative knowledge and systems to build resilience against both immediate and long-term climate impacts.
BSI has been a leader in the transformation of the industry and is critical in achieving the project’s outcomes. Each year, we evaluate more than 40,000 new promising cane varieties for commercial cultivation, and we have released 11 promising ones through our collaboration with the West Indies Central Sugar Cane Breeding Station (WICBS). These varieties, currently in small quantities, will be expanded through seed nurseries and ultimately help replant 10,000 acres using best practices. The expanded variety pool – with early, mid and late-maturing varieties – will improve quality, productivity and resilience to high rainfall, pests and diseases. Additionally, around 3,750 industry stakeholders will receive training and sensitization on these varieties.
To replant the 10,000 acres with climate-adapted varieties, the project will support around 2,000 farmers by covering up to 40% of the services, while farmers contribute the remaining 60%. AgGrowPro, an agro-credit scheme we launched in November 2023 to provide service delivery for replanting and ratoon maintenance, will catalyze the CCCCC’s project by offering farmers instant access to farming credit for service provision exactly when they need it.
The final project outcome aims to increase farmers’ knowledge of climate change impacts and promote the adoption of climate-smart practices. Data systems will digitally connect farm operations with banks and contracting services, ensuring transparency and privacy. BSI’s contribution includes the launch of SmartGrow in October 2024, an innovative digital agro-processing platform using blockchain technology. This platform will help farmers and industry stakeholders enhance operational efficiency, financial security and productivity across the sugarcane ecosystem. The platform focuses on the financial inclusion of small-scale farmers, especially women, to improve field management and productivity.
In addition, BSI will share our expertise in several areas of the project, such as mechanical harvesting, green cane harvesting, soil nutrient management, pest and residue management and soil moisture management through irrigation and drainage. This knowledge transfer builds on prior work on our farms, ensuring that best practices are disseminated throughout the industry.
“The ‘Building the Adaptive Capacity of Sugarcane Farmers in Northern Belize’ project represents a transformative step forward for the Belizean sugar industry,” said Mac McLachlan, Vice President of International Relations and Belize Country Manager. “By fostering innovation, enhancing climate resilience and promoting financial inclusion, this initiative not only supports the livelihoods of thousands of farmers but also sets a new benchmark for sustainable agricultural practices for the northern sugar industry of Belize.”