Extract from the Belize Culture List Serve
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THOUGHTS ON THE BELIZE ECONOMY IN THE FALL OF 2008 under a new UDP government.

I’m looking forward to the first UDP budget speech in January or February. If they stay conservative, things will be okay. I doubt there will be much change in the economic numbers though. The only difference is going to be that 2009 will see more government revenue and thus the ability for a better budget spending and saving plan for 2009. Belize is actually in perfect shape considering; to become a solid conservative managed economy and country, the envy of a all the Caribbean . I doubt the National Debt will change from roughly $2.25 billion. I do expect the debt to GDP ratio to have become a bit worse because of the needless foreign borrowing this year. That seems to have stopped, so it probably will not be too bad. A hinderance to good governance, but understandable because of the needs of politics and party braggadocio for their UDP first year in office. GDP growth I expect to be about the same, around 1.6%. It might shrink a little, or grow a little, but more or less the same this year. I don’t really look for much change in this number until 2010 if the UDP can keep a lid on government spending. Nor do I expect the outside world to impinge too much on consolidation of the economic situation in Belize , whatever is happening out there in the outside world. The biggest factors effecting Belize are the European Union, EPA sales pitch and threats. Also the effect on tourism, which I expect to be minimal. There is a problem with the growth of Airport Departure taxes world wide. This can be detrimental to tourism. For economic growth we do need a concentration on making products for export. How would you foster the chocolate industry and locate markets? Is there a chocolate market in China ? It would seem so? How do you teach college graduates to be entrepreneurs?

THE BEAUTIFUL LEAF COLORS OF TREES IN BELIZE

WHIMSICAL THOUGHTS IN OCTOBER, 2008

My daughter Sharon and family, living in Homestead , Florida , are off for the long Columbus Day weekend, yachting in the sailboat Columbus Day Regatta, which goes from around the Coconut Grove Yacht Club to Elliot Caye. Over there, hundreds of boats anchor in the lee, in the shallow waters of Biscayne Bay and you see nude sun bathers, lots of boat hopping and drinking of beer for several days over the long weekend. Big long weekend party restricted to people with boats, due to distance over Biscayne Bay . I wonder if there are any yacht crowd left in Houston ? They usually sail and race out to the Oyster shallow bar in the middle of Galveston Bay and party for the long weekend.

Last night, here in Hillview of Santa Elena Town, on the slope of Green Parrot Valley , I was up in the hammock on the third floor of our hostel annex and enjoying the sunset. It was a lot like FALL months, with the turning of the leaves in Canada , before they drop from the trees. Down here on the other slope of Green Parrot Valley , the trees were bathed with Golden Sunlight as the sun disappeared behind the ridge from where I was reclining. The leaves of the trees were all the colors of a FALL season up in northern climates. Russet, brown, auburn come to mind as colors. After it got dark of course, the leaves turned green again. Even across the eight miles or so to the Yalbac Hills, across the Belize River Valley , ending at the TWIN TOWNS, the slopes of the hills and trees over there were covered in the golden sunlight, brown, yellow and different colors. What was particularly beautiful was five acres of corn tassles just down the hill from us along the edge of the Western Highway . The golden tassles were rippling in the colors of the sinking sun. It was a really beautiful moment in nature out here in Western Belize . One looks at the fear and panic in the so called civilized world and is humbly grateful for rural life in Belize .

http://folkmusicfl.tripod.com/adventuresinbelize/

Private primary school of Santa Elena Town, Cayo District, Belize

Students at the United Christian School. This primary school in Santa Cruz, a suburb of Santa Elena Town, in Western Belize agriculture and recreational area is owned and financed by the Mennonite mission and has 56 children in attendance. The children do not have to be Mennonites and in fact include Salvadoraneans, Guatemalans, Belizeans, USA kids and even a Brazil child who has a father working as Director of the government San Ignacio Hospital. What sets this primary school apart from other church state schools within Belize, is they take no money from the government of Belize. Most church state primary schools in Belize, get 70% of their teachers salaries paid from the government, plus building and maintainance costs. You would call this a private primary school and the Curriculum used; is from the State of Michigan of the USA and is based on the American education system. This is the basic Christian education. The Belize government approves of it. Another unique feature is that the children to teacher ratio in the lower grades is limited to 9 students per teacher, while in the Junior High School grades, the limit is 12 students per teacher. The fee per child is $255 per year and includes books. Teaching is adjusted so that each child progresses at their own pace.

BELIZE AGRICULTURE COLLEGE RE-OPENS FOR 2008

AGRICULTURE COLLEGE OF BELIZE RE-OPENS !

After eight long years, the Agriculture College at Central Farm in Western Belize has re-opened. The Agriculture College originally closed because of budget cuts, due to the previous government, gambling amateurishly, with a BORROW and SPEND type of trickle down economics theory. The end result was the country became after three years of PUP spend thrift policies, mired in International Debt, that drove the nation to a DEFAULT in the money markets of the International arena. The tight fiscal policies continue and will be necessary for another five years at least, before any marked improvement in financial self sustainability caused by international debt service problems. Due to the growth of the population numbers and subsequent growth of government revenues along with it, the government revenues have been increasing year by year at a rate of about 10%. This is allowing this year, for the first time in eight years, a small budget surplus, if tight budget controls are followed; extra money for doing infra-structure repair will become available in increasing amounts, year by year.. Slated on the top of the priority lists have been road bridges and agriculture expansion development. Should the new government of UDP maintain strict budgetary spending and the size of government, by the end of their five year term, the country should be well on the way to fiscal recovery and financial self sustainability. Political money management skills are the problem Belize faces.

This means a re-orientation to economic diversity and productive goals, particularly in our ability to feed our growing population, with excess crop products for export. The recent crisis early this year of 2008, worldwide, proved we were capable already, in the ability to feed ourselves, no matter what kind of outside disasters occurred. The short sharp lesson in shutdown of world food supplies during a very rapid oil supply cost spike in costs, early in 2008, made our new batch of politicians sit up and take notice. It so happened it co-incided with the Tropical Vegetable Research done by the NGO, the BELIZE DEVELOPMENT TRUST, in Hillview, Santa Elena Town, who had just prior to the world oil crisis and food crisis, published a series of experimental research books, as they were trying different methods of producing vegetables on a year round sustainable, continuous cropping basis in the tropical climate of Belize. The experiments worked and news was soon spread through the CABINET politicians, the agriculture community and government Natural Resources Department. Subsequently, a series of articles by the NGO research, on local list serves, emails to concerned government and education individuals, caused a meeting of minds at the political level and soon as some surplus money became available, the CABINET decided to put Agriculture year round production, on the front burner. The recipient of those GRANT FUNDS and increased agriculture budgets were shared with the University of Belize and Central Farm Research Station of the Ministry of Agriculture, earmarked for training of a new generation of farmers, in what had been discovered and proven in the market place, of new techniques in modern agriculture. The previously closed Central Farm campus of the Agriculture College , now part of the greater University of Belize small unit campus system around the tiny nation, has been re-opened in September, 2008 with a new lecture staff and curriculum and 28 students. The college is expected to expand rapidly as the private sector, mostly Mennonite farmers, and new immigrant investors from the USA , are already reaping good financial earnings from the newer agriculture technologies, proved by the research experiments of the previous three years. Oversight is being provided to the Agriculture College , administered by the University of Belize , as a two year Associate Degree program, in practical money making agriculture, overseen by the research staff and extension department of the Central Farm Research Station across the road, a few hundred yards away in the Western Cayo District. Which is also the largest Recreational Area in the country. Also nearby, is the Taiwanese Agriculture vegetable research plot, which is used to test new Chinese varieties of seeds and crops, for the major two different night time, temperature seasons found in Belize . Research has shown, February through August require different types of seeds not susceptible to 24 hour constant warm temperatures, during day and night. The rest of the year, temperate zone vegetable seeds can be planted. Just add water and fertilizer food. Soil preparation is a must, and small spaced plots to combat the tropical lowland increases of diseases and pests in a growing situation that has no seasons.. Inter-cropping will be taught. The Taiwanese overseas assistance program is also active in food preservation and packaging technology, to build not only a local market, for products on grocery store shelves, but also to fill niche gourmet markets for the export markets abroad. Belize already has a strong trade with Mexico and Guatemala in agriculture and also has expanded in recent years to supplying El Salvador with corn.

The Vegetable BIBLE of the new crop growing technology is the FOURTH EDITION of the “BELIZE VEGETABLE FARMERS BIBLE - FOURTH EDITION”. Written and produced by Ray Auxillou of the Belize Development Trust NGO, agriculture research project. A new standardized book is in the works, being got ready for publication on continuous YEAR ROUND vegetable growing. Several experimenters have succeeded in growing vegetables by adjusting varieties and planting weekly.

The new agriculture college course will be in mixed farming. Food preservation, processing and packaging also. Though the new techniques in continuous vegetable cropping on an all year round basis, point to the strong possibilities of fast money making export opportunities. We already have a growing trade with Mexico , Guatemala , Honduras , El Salvador and new roads along the Eastern side of Central America are making trade easier each year. This opens huge, new close by, trade markets. We are talking over 54 million people to supply. The nation of Belize is also short of milk production cows and dairy farms. The demand is greater than the supply, for value added products made from milk, like different cheese types. These should eventually include exports. Chocolates for export are another field of opportunity in the more traditional cacao tree production. A $100,000 a year income is not impossible today for these first 28 young farmer students on just ten acres, now studying at the newly re-opened Agriculture College in market gardening alone. Mixed farming would give them more diversified revenue stability and rising living standards. Processing, packaging and marketing are the larger problems to be faced as the population grows.

http://westernbelizehappenings.blogspot.com ( local news in Western Belize )
http://tropicalhydroponics.tripod.com
http://belizehydroponics.tripod.com