Pro-Organic Belize Holds Annual General Meeting

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Pro-Organic Belize (POB), founded in 2016, recently held its annual general meeting via Zoom. Elected to the board of directors to serve for two years were Karin Wesdyk, Josie Flowers, and Keon Clare. They join Mary Loan, Dottie Feucht, Robin Clarke, Dr. Sophia Clarke, and John Briggs who serve until 2022.
Discussed at the meeting were highlights of the previous year, including monthly speakers which started as a Tuesday afternoon event and ended with a change to Saturdays at 3:00 to accommodate a wider audience. Speakers in 2020 included Dr. Rosita Arvigo who spoke on Medicinal Herbs, Dr. Ed Boles on Watersheds, Helen Choco on CATIE Projects in Belize, Fay Garnet on Agroforestry Systems and Aurelio Sho on Our Forests are our Future. Other speakers for 2020 included Kim Ringland who spoke on Landscaping with Native Herbs, Gary Ramirez on Improving Agriculture, and Henry Peller on Seed Saving.
POB is currently planning its speaker meeting for May 8, 2021 which is being jointly sponsored with Regeneration Belize. World-renowned author, founder of Regeneration International and past president of IFOAM International, Andre Leu, will be speaking from his organic farm in Australia.
It was reported that the POB sends a weekly list of pesticide-free produce available from its 2 certified farmers to some 200 people in its consumers’ group. (These farmers were certified after samples of their products were tested for pesticide residue by a laboratory in Guatemala.) POB consumers order and pay the farmers directly. Pickup places are in San Ignacio and Belmopan, but POB discussed developing an order pickup location in Ladyville. The POB Marketing Committee reported that POB’s Facebook page contains information for joining POB and its consumer group.
The Farm Relations and Certification Committee reported that it has a list of farmers waiting to be certified as growers of pesticide-free produce. As soon as the GOB Covid restrictions are lifted the committee will resume its farm inspections.