San Victor Primary School
by Charles Gladden
BELMOPAN, Tues. May 20, 2025
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise (MAFSE) announced the winners of the 2025 National Agriculture and Trade Show School Garden (NATS-SG) Competition on Monday, May 19.
Belize High School Garden
“Our judges at the district level included an Agriculture Extension Officer and an Education Officer. They screened and selected 3 top priority primary schools and 2 top priority high schools. These are the 2 categories—primary and high schools,” said Emilio Montero, the coordinator of the competition.
The theme for the 2nd annual NATS-SG Competition aligns with that of the NATS Fair: “Integrating Sustainable Food Systems: Mitigating Climate Change, Strengthening Agriculture Resilience”.
A total of 30 schools countrywide participated in the competition, each demonstrating dedication, creativity, and passion for promoting sustainable agriculture through school gardening.
In the primary school category, the winners were as follows: 1st place: San Victor R.C. School (Corozal District); 2nd place: San Antonio Government School (Corozal District); 3rd place: Sandy Creek Academy (Stann Creek District); 4th place: Chan Chen Government School (Corozal District); and 5th place: Bullet Tree Seventh Day Adventist School (Cayo District).
San Victor Garden
“The primary school category was tight this year. We had 5 competitive primary schools. The first scoring was done in April, and the final scoring was done in May. The average of the scores selected the winners. A grading sheet was developed between the Ministry of Agriculture and Education … The difference was in the Environmental Friendliness, Sustainability Practices, and Agriculture Technique criteria,” Montero mentioned.
Belize High School of Agriculture plants
In the high school category, the winners were: 1st place: Belize High School of Agriculture (Orange Walk District); 2nd place: Belmopan Comprehensive School (Cayo District); and 3rd place: New Hope High School (Orange Walk District).
The first-place winners will receive a greenhouse sponsored by AgroVet Jiron, along with other agricultural supplies, which will also be distributed to the other winners. They will be officially awarded on May 30 at the opening ceremony of the National Agriculture and Trade Show (NATS).
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