Building the Adaptive Capacity of Sugarcane Farmers in Northern Belize (BaC-SuF)

Belize is highly vulnerable to climate change, particularly due to its low-lying islands facing challenges such as storms, hurricanes, droughts, floods, and the threat of sea-level rise. The agriculture sector, especially the sugar industry, is expected to be significantly impacted by the increasing frequency and intensity of these climate hazards, affecting approximately 16,753 households. Sugarcane farmers in northern Belize are facing financial, physical, and social risks due to erratic precipitation patterns. 

Building the Adaptive Capacity of Sugarcane Farmers in Northern Belize (BaC-SuF) aims to enhance their resilience by implementing a seed cane variety programme, strengthening farming, water control, sharing knowledge and expanding the range of sugarcane varieties. Additionally, production operations will be transformed to be more climate-resilient, using planting and production practices that regenerate soils and require fewer inputs to achieve higher yields. Moisture management knowledge and practices, including irrigation and drainage, will be introduced to stabilize production in response to predicted soil moisture variability. Furthermore, the project aims to increase the use of mechanical green cane harvesting, reducing production costs and harvesting carbon emissions.