Seeds to Grow 100 Tons of Needed Food in Honduras

We have encountered some difficulties getting recent shipments of seed into Honduras because of import restrictions that require negotiation with the ministry of Agriculture.  But that  delay is perhaps for the best because of the very heavy rains in the fall in Honduras.  So the bad news is actually good news --  we would have lost many of the seeds to flooding had they gone in earlier. Luckily, there are continued traditional vegetable planting seasons in the early months of 2015. This year, the nutrition provided by these vegetables will be especially important because the endless rain has made it hard to mature, dry, and harvest the staple food crops of maize and beans.

Meanwhile, the work to build farmer skills, knowledge, and leadership by our partner FIPAH has continued unabated.

The plan, once vegetable-growing is underway, is for seed plots to be sown in the communities to allow farmers to become acquainted with the new seed and how to save and multiply it. Each regional group of village-based farmer leaders will take responsibility for one or two veg seed types, and together they will share future seed harvests for 10-15 different vegetables.

We are delighted to partner with this group because this won't be a new experience for FIPAH - they went through a farmer-led research process with beans, as shown in the first attached photo. They are also deeply aware (and ever-learning) how to improve soil even in challenging mountainous conditions. The last attached photo shows vermicomposting (soil improvement and nutrient development through "farming" earthworms).