For a small-scale farmer in Honduras a healthy crop can be the difference between a life of prosperity and a life in poverty. By working together we can protect farmers’ crops to address hunger and create more prosperous livelihoods.
Watch the VideoEmiliano is a small-scale farmer living in the mountains of western Honduras. The 33-year-old father of three grows maize, potatoes and strawberries and like any farmer he is wary of the pests and diseases that could destroy his crops.
"I’m really happy for my children, because they now have all these things that I didn’t have when I was growing up." Emiliano Dominguez
Cecilia, 33, is a farmer and mother of four children. She lives in western Honduras where she raises livestock and grows maize, potatoes and strawberries. She says her crop yields have gone through the roof since she received training in good agricultural practices.
"I learned about agrochemicals and how they are applied and based on that my yield has increased threefold." Cecilia Mejía Domínguez
Maria Cerila grows potatoes, maize and cabbage in the mountains of western Honduras. Her family has always been farmers and she is proud to be making her living off the earth. But she is now even more proud to be able to finance her children in their education due to increased crop yields.
"We produce more as we’ve been trained and have more knowledge. We can now afford our children’s education." María Cirila Pineda
Salomon is a small-scale farmer. He lives in the mountains of western Honduras where he grows broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce and maize. Pests and disease are a constant threat to the quality of Salomon’s crop and he says technical support from USAID has been invaluable in transforming his farm into a profitable business.
"New pests and diseases come up all the time…they can destroy your entire crop." Salomón Lorenzo Vázquez
Arcadia, 53, lives with her mother on a small farm in western Honduras. She grows beans, strawberries and potatoes and says that the training she has received on good agricultural practices has helped her improve her income and standard of living.
In 2013, CropLife Latin America formed a partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to train Honduran farmers in good agricultural practices. The aim was to help lift 108,000 rural Hondurans out of extreme poverty by teaching farmers how to protect their crops from pests and disease. The partnership with CropLife Latin America formed part of USAID’s wider four-year project called ACCESO.
AHSAFE-Honduras (the national member of CropLife Latin America) trained 120 USAID field officers on good agricultural practices and integrated pest management. The field officers in turn have trained more than 30,000 Honduran farmers. These farmers have been able to tackle pests and disease to improve the yield and quality of their crops and they are now earning higher incomes and enjoying a better quality of life.
The work in Honduras is a powerful example of how public-private partnerships and good agricultural practices can address hunger and poverty around the world.
