BOLETIN No 5

Quarterly newsletter of the Director of the Regional Unit for Technical Assistance - RUTA
RUTA is a Project of the Ministries of Agriculture of Central America, the World Bank, IDB, DFID, FAO, IFAD, IICA, IFPRI

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MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR

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BELIZE COSTA RICA EL SALVADOR GUATEMALA HONDURAS NICARAGUA PANAMA AND CENTRAL AMERICA

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BELICE

Belize Rural Development Programme in action

BELICEThe Cayo district in Belize is the venue for one of the technical programmes aimed at reducing rural poverty in the Central American region. In this case, assistance is being provided to the poverty-reduction efforts of the Belize Rural Development Programme (BRDP).

This programme, which was set up by the Government of Belize and the European Union, is aimed at reducing rural poverty and supporting sustainable economic development in rural areas.

RUTA's support has consisted mainly of technical assistance provided to the Cayo District Development Committee (DDC) in connection with project evaluation. The basic goal is to ensure that the projects in question meet the poverty-reduction target in rural areas and create conditions for empowering the rural poor and improving their standard of living.

BRIEF NOTES FROM BELIZE

US$ 200,000 for the fight against poverty

BELICEThe International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the RUTA National Technical Unit in Belize recently completed a grant proposal for US$ 200,000 which is now under negotiation. These funds would be used to combat rural poverty in a joint effort with the Belize Credit Union League and to strengthen the National Association of Village Council Organizations. The proposal is part of the Country Strategic Opportunities Paper (COSOP) developed in 2005 by RUTA and IFAD in the context of that year's mission to Belize. On that occasion, representatives of 90 non-governmental organizations, the private sector, community organizations and international cooperation agencies met to outline future IFAD cooperation in Belize.

Belize and the Central American Agricultural Policy

The RUTA National Technical Unit in Belize has also been collaborating actively with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in the design of the Central American Agricultural Policy.

Significant progress has been made in this regard since early 2006, when the working group, which includes Belize, was set up. The working group is made up of policy directors and advisors of the Central American ministries of agriculture.

The Coordinator of the RUTA National Technical Unit in Belize has been in touch with policy analysts at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF) and has provided assistance in carrying out the national workshop on policy design.