Promoting Food Security in Honduras

In the 1960s Honduras was considered the breadbasket of Central America. Since then, the situation has changed dramatically. In most areas in the south, the total area farmed for traditional crops has fallen due to an unreliable water supply for irrigation, as well as extreme flooding events like Hurricane Mitch in 1998. 

These factors have combined to make local people increasingly vulnerable to food shortages and diseases. This has a further impact on quality of life and people’s ability to improve their economic situation.

CARE hopes to alleviate the current situation through the project Promoting Food Security in the Choluteca and Rio Negro Watersheds. Among the project’s activities are: 

• introduction of new and/or improved varieties of seed and eco-efficient technologies
• creation of a “WaterFund” to enable local producers and entrepreneurs, as well as municipalities and water boards, to access financial resources, increase agricultural production, invest in economic activities and protect forested areas

CARE, with the help of several partners, hopes to improve the quality of life of people in the southern portion of Honduras, to reduce vulnerability to food insecurity and disasters, and to help restore the region to its thriving potential.