In the fertile lands of Azacualpa, San Pedro Zacapa, 24 Honduran families left behind traditional farming methods to adopt climate-smart technologies with support from the Integrated Rural Development and Productivity Project (SAG-ProOccidente).
For the families who make up the Zacapa Production Group, growing plantains, corn, and fodder was synonymous with sacrifice: long days under the sun, rudimentary tools, and high costs due to the scarcity of labor.
“When we started planting, we sacrificed a lot to sow with a hoe, and labor is expensive and scarce because the young people leave for the north,” said Edyn Amado Castillo, a member of the group.
Today, their story is different. With the support of the SAG-ProOccidente Project, these families implemented climate-smart technologies that changed their way of producing. They procured five tillers, 13 drip irrigation systems, forage choppers, motorized sprayers, and brush cutters.
“These technologies have lowered our production costs. It’s not easy to pick up a hoe at midday, and with these tillers that even have headlights, we can rest for a while and work at night,” Castillo said.
Today, 12 hectares of bananas, two hectares of corn and one hectare of fodder are under irrigation systems and technical management, ensuring a more efficient and sustainable production. All of the 24 producers receive comprehensive technical assistance, strengthening their capacity to compete in formal markets.
The investment also translates into opportunities: 24 direct jobs and more than 3,700 day laborers boost the local economy and reduce migration.
With projected revenues exceeding L. 4 million in the first year, the plan demonstrates that innovation is profitable and sustainable. Furthermore, the participation of women and young people reinforces the project’s commitment to equality and generational renewal.
“We have learned about agricultural practices, spacing, soil preparation… small things that make a big difference,” said Germán Domínguez, another member of the group.
Today, these families not only produce more; they produce better. They do so with the certainty that innovation and teamwork are the best tools for building a future within the country.
ABOUT SAG-PROOCCIDENTE
SAG-ProOccidente is a five-year project implemented by ACDI/VOCA and led by Honduras’s Secretariat of Agriculture and Livestock (SAG). SAG-ProOccidente works with multiple partners, including local producers, the private sector, indigenous organizations, and small and medium enterprises, to build sustainable economic and climate resilience and reduce migration out of the country, promoting self-reliance through local ownership.
SAG-ProOccidente is providing technical assistance and training to more than 10,000 agriculture and livestock producers across six departments and 88 municipalities by helping them adopt new climate-smart technologies and practices and improving their access to finance.
Activities take place in the western departments of Santa Bárbara, Copán, Ocotepeque, Intibucá, Lempira, and La Paz, focusing on horticulture, fruit, coffee, cacao, dairy cattle, and those related to cultural products of ethnic origin.
The project is funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) through the Fund for the Promotion of Development (FONPRODE).
Learn more about SAG-ProOccidente.
Learn more about our work in Honduras.
