SHI congratulates Ms. Patrona Quib of San Benito Poite, and Mr. Francis Sanchez of San Isidro, on winning Female and Male Farmer of the Year in Belize. Patrona and Francis were selected among hundreds of farmers for their work and dedication to sustainable agriculture, food sovereignty and healthy communities.

Perched on a hillside, the Paz family farm has a spectacular vantage point of its surroundings: the lush rolling hillsides of the small village of El Robledal, the coffee plantations nestled in forests of inga and guanacaste, the terraced farm plots. The farm is not easily accessible, particularly during the rainy season when monsoon-like downpours flood nearby creeks and create temporary waterfalls that rush down hillsides and paths. In spite of these hurdles, Jose Ramón Paz and his family see no challenge in the rain; only when the rains stop and the crops suffer.