Food And Nutrition Policy and Plan of Action for Belize 2010-2015.

The Food and Nutrition Security Policy and Plan of Action for Belize 2010-2015 is a five-year national policy with a multi-sector approach. It is intended to serve as a framework for policy decisions by the Government of Belize and for the implementation of programmes to ensure food and nutrition security for all Belizeans. The policy goals will be implemented through: 1- Developing sustainable, equitable, and environmentally sound policies, plans and programmes for food and nutrition security; 2- Designing achievable plans for food and nutrition security improvement with the effective participation of all people in the decisions, actions , and evaluation at all levels; 3- Ensuring sufficient supply and continued access to a variety of safe foods and drinking water so that people, especially the poor and vulnerable groups, can have nutritionally adequate diets, even during periods of bad harvests, natural and human - caused disasters; 4- Ensuring adequate intake of macro and micronutrients combined with adequate health care, especially for women, children, the elderly and marginalized throughout the country; 5- Improving food safety and nutrition through the regulation and surveillance of the food chain including the production, industrialization, marketing and handling of food products; 6- Improving the motivation, knowledge, skills, and entrepreneurship of all stakeholders, for food and nutrition security.
Actions are organized into six Programmatic areas: 1. Information, Education and Communication on Food Production, Preparation, and Nutrition; 2. Diversified Food Production, Food Processing, Marketing, Storage and Credit Mobilisation; 3. Maternal and Child Care, School Feeding and Caring for the Socio - economically deprived and Nutritionally vulnerable; 4. Creation of Employment and Income Generating Opportunities at the Local level; 5. Food Safety; 6. analysis and reform of national policies for food and nutrition
Poverty will be addressed through creating more opportunities for small industries, and greater diversification of the job market. This programme will seek to ensure that people are gainfully employed through the continuous creation of employment opportunities. It will maintain a database of existing employment opportunities; monitor unemployment levels and identify training needs. It will then provide training to improve marketability and skills development. Cottage industries and community businesses will be encouraged. Further, credit at lower interest rates will be made available. It will support the creation of small farmers‘ bank and other micro credit institutions. It will seek to raise the income levels of socio-economically deprived and nutritionally vulnerable groups. It will promote self employment and entrepreneurship for people in vulnerable communities.