Panama City. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) launched the project “Seeds for Development”, which aims to encourage the creation of rural enterprises in Central America.
The plan expects to assist 12,000 families that are small producers of grains like corn, beans, sorghum and rice in Central America, the majority of these will be in Panama and Belize.
The agency estimates that in the future, about two million rural households in Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and Belize could benefit from this program.
“They represent 29% of the population of the region, and thanks to the food that they produce are, without a doubt, one of the most important responses to food crises in the region,” said Jose Graziano da Silva, FAO Regional Representative.
The project has formed 132 groups of producers, each of whom produce good quality seeds of the basic grains. Within the group, there are 24 members that are in the process of consolidating into seed companies, which will directly benefit 12,000 farm families.
One focus will be strengthening the relationship between state oversight agencies and small seed producers, to streamline oversight mechanisms, quality control and certification to facilitate the work of small producers in the market.
It also seeks to improve and strengthen the role of state agencies, through the submission of proposals for sustainable development of the seed stock and provide advice to the ministries of agriculture of the participating countries.
By the end of 2011, the goal is to produce 3,272 tons of seed suitable for small producers.
source: americaeconomia.com