Learn to Grow with The Hershey Co. in Belize – Mobile Application Helps Farmers Stay Alert of Pests and Weather Patterns

In Belize, the “Learn to Grow” program continued to expand on the initial successes through FY19-21. By the close of FY22, the program benefited about 2,560 farmers, monitored over 1,000 hectares of sugarcane fields for pests, reduced the use of nearly 3,000 kgs of pesticide, and saved farmers a total of $389,000.

The new Farmers Alert App for Pests and Weather, a mobile phone application which was under development in FY21, provides climate change resilience information to sugarcane farmers surrounding our Belize Sugar Industries (BSI) sugar mill, helping farmers plan for weather incidents and pests. The app provides pest alert data, mill information, climate, and historical forecasting information, as well as an interactive section where farmers can ask questions and request assistance from technical officers. A youth tech coach program was implemented to teach the 2,560 participants in “Learn to Grow” how to use the app effectively. 

Several “Farmer Field School” sessions were conducted with farmers whose fields comprise those used as pest monitoring sites which provide data for the Farmers Alert App. The sessions bring together neighboring farmers to learn through practice and share knowledge amongst each other. This year, several training sessions focused on biological pest control to avoid the use of synthetic chemicals. Demonstrations of the biological controls were conducted in over 600 hectares, helping to reduce the use of over 7,000 kgs of chemicals and saving about $73,000.

Additionally, as part of BSI’s ongoing efforts to increase women farmer participation and contribution to the sugar industry of northern Belize, in May 2022, BSI held its First Women Farmer Field School to impart information about Land Preparation and its related activities, as part of the Hershey “Learn to Grow” program and a Caribbean Community Climate Change Center (5C’s) ongoing project. This will positively aid farmers in their cane production leading to higher yields and by extension, positively impacting them financially. 

All the research collected through pest monitoring during the “Learn to Grow” program was presented to cane farmers and local organizations during the first-of-its-kind Sugarcane Pest Symposium in May, 2022. The Organismo Internacional Regional de Sanidad Agropecuaria (OIRSA) and the Sugar Industry Research & Development Institute (SIRDI) also attended and discussed the importance of biological pest control.