15 Belize District farmers participate in one-day workshop on Post-Harvest Management and Cold Storage Training at Maskall Community Center

Post-Harvest Management and Cold Storage Training in Belize District – Photo Credit: Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security, and Enterprise

By Rubén Morales Iglesias: A group of 15 farmers from the Bomba United Farmers Cooperative and Los Pequeños Agricultores de Nago Bank in the Belize District attended a one-day workshop on Post-Harvest Management and Cold Storage Training at the Maskall Community Center.

The workshop was organized by the Belize District Department of Agriculture and facilitated by Darrell Thompson, a Consultant of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.

Miguel Balan, Belize District Agriculture Coordinator and  Focal Point for the Managing Belizean Agricultural Resilience (MBAR) Project, said Tuesday’s training delivered an overview of the postharvest system and its role in the food value chain and offers essential tools to monitor and control the handling process. The training also covered how to prevent and manage unexpected events (e.g., spoilage), and how to ensure food quality and safety within a cold storage facility.

Darrell Thompson, Consultant of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, conducts Post-Harvest Management and Cold Storage Training in Belize District. (Photo Credit: Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security, and Enterprise)

The workshop aimed to help farmers and producers organizations to preserve high-quality produce and achieve optimal yields, and to cope with current challenges such as oversupply, waste, food safety, lack of resources, sustainability, and best practices for production.

The Post-Harvest Management and Cold Storage Training was part of the Managing Belizean Agricultural Resilience (M-BAR) Project funded by FAO.

Balan said the M-BAR Project offers technological tools to enhance crop value and improve food safety and quality and addresses the issues of traceability and sustainability.

Thompson conducted a similar workshop at the Central Farm Station last week for technical officers from the Ministry of Agriculture and Cayo District vegetable farmers. He will facilitate another workshop Corozal farmers on Thursday at Concepción.