Passing the Torch: Sustainable Farming in Honduran Communities

Passing the Torch: Sustainable Farming in Honduran Communities

By Karim Slifka

The roads leading to La Majada and Brisas del Mar, Santa Barbara, paint a stark contrast to Honduras’ large cities. Urban noise and pollution give way to the peace and quiet of rural hillsides. Before long, however, evidence of massive deforestation emerges. Decimated mountain slopes have caused mudslides, soil erosion and water contamination. Flooding and drought are occurring more often. This is the land where Francisco “Chico” Garcia of Brisas del Mar and Noe Garcia of La Majada live and farm.

Chico and Noe have noticed the changes in their environment and climate. Noe says, “The rains do not come when they used to. My father could predict the arrival of rain and knew when to plant our beans and corn to the exact day. Now, it is changing in unpredictable ways. If we plant when our fathers did, we lose all of our beans.”

Their needs mirror the needs of most rural farming communities in Central America. Traditional slash-and-burn farming practices have steadily eroded their environment and way of life, creating a destructive cycle that decreases land productivity each year and pushes farmers to clear still more forest. To reverse these trends, local families have sought an alternative method of farming that preserves local habitat, water supplies and livelihoods.

Màs informaciòn en: http://www.americanforests.org/magazine/article/passing-the-torch-sustainable-farming-in-honduran-communities/#.UQB_0pUMGhN.blogger