This is a photo my colleague and I learning about the chocolate making process.
Author: Mackenzie Albright | Major: Accounting | Semester: Summer 2024
Hello! My name is Mackenzie Albright and I am going to be a junior at the University of Arkansas this fall. I am majoring in Accounting with minors in Information Systems and Spanish.
This past summer I interned with the Peaceworks Project with Dr. Amy Farmer. During my time in Dangriga Belize, I interned with the Ministry of Agriculture. My colleagues and I shadow Mr. Novelo as well as other employees at the Dangriga, Stann Creek branch of the Belize Ministry of Agriculture. Nationally, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security, and Enterprise partnered with the Ministry of Economic Development to create and fund the Sustainable and Inclusive Belize program. This initiative is for small farmers producing between 0.5 and 20 acres who will, once approved, receive technical assistance and capacity building for three years in the application of sustainable agriculture and environmental practices and the adoption of climate-smart technologies. The program will provide financial assistance in the form of Green Innovation Vouchers through the co-financing of small producers for the implementation of viable farm plan.
One of our most frequent activities was accompanying Mr. Novelo on his visits to farming villages throughout the Stann Creek District. At these visits, Mr. Novelo would meet with ten to thirty farmers in the community to explain the grant and work with them to complete the applications. The applications included the small farmer profile with questions regarding the farmer’s personal information (email, age, nationality, etc.) and also their farm’s profile (size, crop type, buyer, water source, margin of profitability, and annual sales). This was one of my favorite things to do because frequently these farmers only spoke Spanish so I was able to utilize what I have learned in my classes and apply it to real-life situations.
Our group would also work with Wayne, and Mr. Campos on farm visits. We would go to farms in the Stann Creek District and get a tour while analyzing the crops, irrigation, and use of fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides, etc. On these visits, we would recommend practices, and products, provide seedlings and other materials, and also invite the farmers to our technical assistance classes on making organic fertilizer and pesticides from scratch and how to test farm equipment. We also had the opportunity to attend both of these classes.
I learned so much about agriculture and also the Stann Creek District of Belize. Additionally, because of the flexibility of our schedule, we were able to visit local businesses in the area that had ties with the agriculture in the district. We went to the Che’il Mayan Chocolate Factory. They showed us the complete process of making chocolate from seed to tree to pod to cocoa nib to chocolate bar. We also interviewed the manager of the local hot sauce company Marie Sharps. These experiences and shadowing with the ministry helped me learn so much about how small businesses work. The interview with Marie Sharps was a wonderful opportunity to see both the buyer’s and the seller’s perspectives on the agriculture process.
As an accounting major, I want to get my CPA however with my newfound love for agriculture I am hoping to explore accounting positions at a local agriculture business in the greater Kansas City Missouri Area.