Local leaders and international issues

BELIZE-

Sustainable Community Development 2 brought us deeper into the ideas and practices of development as we approached the end of the semester. Robert Pelant led our course, which included a field trip to Northern Belize to the village of Patchakan.
Amid the fields of sugar cane, small farmers struggle to make a profit with the fluctuation of the market, and with the high cost of fertilizer there is need to produce a decent yield.

Learning in Patchakan

We spent our time learning from a local sugar cane farmer and local leader who is always working to improve the fertility of his land, and reducing dependency on buying fertilizers. He inspired us with his dedication to teach the farmers in his community the techniques he is testing on his own 20 acres.

Sugar cane fields

Later in the week we visited a hydroelectric dam, and wrestled with issues of foreign investment in Belize, connected to the building of the dams and ownership of electric companies. Disturbed by the ‘come in, take, and leave’ attitude of foreign companies in Belize’s past and current development, we were challenged to evaluate our current economic model in light of sustainable development.

All in all, the week brought unique experiences from sleeping under thatched roofs, to putting on hard hats to view the inner workings of a hydroelectric dam. It was quite a journey and left us with lots to consider.