Honduras is a biological hotspot in Central America, with extensive forest coverage offering rich biological corridors to abundant wildlife. The northern Atlantic region of the country offers ideal conditions for diverse, sustainable production of agricultural and forest products, from timber and cocoa to cardamom and rambutan fruit. However, most of these items are produced through unsustainable methods, putting the region at risk of increased deforestation, biodiversity loss, and land degradation. This environmental destruction undermines efforts to develop local sustainable livelihoods and reduce irregular migration.
Through a Global Development Alliance with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Rainforest Alliance will address these challenges by implementing the Feed the Future Honduras Alliance for Economic and Environmental Resilience. It aims to strengthen the capacity and increase the income of at least 4,000 producers and 60 local companies in Honduras’ northern Atlantic region, while restoring and protecting natural resources and ecosystems.
Project Objectives
The Feed the Future Honduras Alliance for Economic and Environmental Resilience will target specific sectors for accelerated, sustainable value chain and business development. Focus products include rambutan, timber, spices, yuca, and taro root. Partners will develop new, more sustainable business models for Honduras’ northern Atlantic region, blending agriculture and forest production systems with investments in technology, training, and finance to increase producers’ short, medium, and long-term income and strengthen their competitiveness and resilience.
The project will implement activities in Honduras guided by three main goals:
- Improved income and resilience of producers through more sustainable, profitable, and efficient rambutan agroforestry production systems, with producers implementing climate-smart agricultural practices and adopting new technologies.
- Increased access to finance and commercial agreements for producers and nature-based enterprises, through partnerships developed across the public and private sectors.
- Increased capacity of nature-based enterprises in entrepreneurship, management, production, and marketing, with an emphasis on women- and youth-led enterprises. This will support improvements in innovation, operating efficiencies, use of digital technology, brand visibility, web presence, and market access.
Partner Communities
USAID and the Rainforest Alliance will engage with local nature-based enterprises and producers, building the capacity of at least 4,000 smallholder families and 60 local companies. Together, we will implement sustainable and climate-smart agricultural practices—which, on average, lead to a 20 percent increase in harvest yields, and will help to improve both commodity exports and ecosystem health.
Location
Honduras
Project Period
2024-2029
Desired Impacts
By the end of the project’s five-year time span, the Feed the Future Honduras Alliance for Economic and Environmental Resilience aims to have the following impacts:
- Improved capacity of 4,000 smallholder families to implement more sustainable and climate-smart agricultural practices, diversifying production and income with new crops and agroforestry systems.
- 8,000 hectares of production landscapes under improved, more sustainable management practices.
- 60 nature-based enterprises with enhanced business, organizational, and production capacities, including the creation and/or support of youth- and/or women-led enterprises.
- US$40 million in total sales from nature-based enterprises involved in production and business development activities.
- 9,000 full-time equivalent jobs created or strengthened in target value chains.
Funders
USAID/Honduras
This project is funded by USAID as part of Feed the Future, the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative.
About Feed the Future
Feed the Future is America’s initiative to combat global hunger and poverty. It brings partners together to help some of the world’s poorest countries harness the power of agriculture and entrepreneurship to jumpstart their economies and create new opportunities. For more information, visit feedthefuture.gov.
Implementing Partners
Consultores para Desarrollo y Agronegocios S. de R.L. (CDA)
Asesoría y Servicios en Producción Agroindustrial S. de R. L. (ASEPRA)
Private Sector Partners
- Doselva PBC
- Frutela
- Inversiones Domínguez
- Innovative Business Solutions
Rainforest Alliance Contact
Francisco Posas, Chief of Party, Honduras fposas@ra.org
