AFCIPRA project contributes to green recovery in Honduras
Central America, 02 November - The Climate-Smart Family Agriculture Project AFCIPRA, the Resilient Food Production (RFP) component of EUROCLIMA +, presented its learnings in RFP and its contribution to green recovery, before the new authorities of the Ministry of the Environment of Guatemala (MEG), during an event organized by the Delegation of the European Union in this country, recently.
AFCIPRA is implemented in the Dry Corridor of Honduras. It promotes the resilient production of food, with a gender and cultural diversity perspective, in more than 600 families from Lenca indigenous communities and mestizo population, under a sustainable management approach of the water resources of El Venado and Chiflador - Guaralape basins in Honduras.
“The project has transformative effects from the ecological and socio-economic points of view”, said Engr. Douglas Benavidez, coordinator of the AFCIPRA Project.
He noted as transformative effects the promotion of climate-resilient strategies through actions such as: Integrated Watershed Management, Resilient Food Production, diversification of production, and efficient and sustainable use of water, activities that generate impacts at landscape and farm levels.
He stressed that the project promotes adaptation measures such as: agroforestry, silvopastoral systems and the development of conservation agriculture, which are contributing to carbon capture and emission reduction, as well as increasing productivity by up to 25%, which contributes to improving family income.
He stressed that they are working on financial products according to the conditions of the producers, that promote processes and actions to improve access to food through Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) and that they are connecting the producer with local markets for the commercialization of the surplus production.
From the economic point of view, AFCIPRA is promoting an inclusive green rural model, and is also facilitating the formation of (15) self-savings and loan groups for women, to improve the economic empowerment of women and promote the culture of savings.
Benavidez emphasised that AFCIPRA has an enormous contribution to the inclusive green transition process for the RFP sector. “The activities promoted in this climate action, develop processes and implement low-carbon and climate-resilient activities, which are aligned with the NDCs and with priority four of the green alliance between Honduras and the European Union to shorten the process of the farm to the consumer's table and with the decarbonization plan of Honduras ”.
He added that the Project increases resilience to climate change. At the farm level, it develops adaptation measures that reduce the vulnerability of livelihoods among them: water harvests, efficient irrigation, agroforestry and silvopastoral systems, conservation agriculture, use of resilient to drought seeds, among other practices.
At the hydrographic basin level, it is promoting the development of a water governance model that considers the basin as the management unit, water as an integrating resource and an enabling environment for the RFP.
Innovative approach
"What is innovative about the AFCIPRA project is the approach which combines components of water governance and climate-smart landscapes," Benavidez highlighted.
He indicated that Climate Action promotes the design and implementation of a water governance model that includes the development of basin planning instruments, the formation of Basin Councils, and the institutionalization of the process, which is facilitated by the Directorate of Water Resources of the Secretary of MiAmbiente. This process is developed under a multi-stakeholder and multi-level approach, considering the basin as the management unit and water as the integrating resource, in order to generate a favorable environment for Resilient Food Production (RFP).
Meanwhile, through the Climate-Smart Landscapes component, the project combines three fundamental elements: the development of a climate-smart family agriculture that is accompanied by the identification of inclusive financing models for RFP, and a public-private partnership to connect the small producer with local markets. “All of these create a favorable environment for the RFP and contribute to the National Determined Contributions (NDC) of Honduras,” Benavidez emphasised.
Challenges
Regarding the challenges, AFCIPRA is working to guarantee sustainability with the development of horizontal technical assistance, generating community leadership so that it is from farmer to farmer through community promoters, and developing a plan as an exit strategy.
Together, the project systematises the experience in Honduras in order to subsequently disseminate it. The project is also preparing to work with local partners to scale this model with other territories in Honduras. Likewise, it is preparing a roadmap to share the experience with a view on scalability in Guatemala and El Salvador.
AFCIPRA is executed by SNV Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV) and the Association for the Integrated Management of Watersheds of La Paz and Comayagua, Honduras (ASOMAINCUPACO). As a strategic partner, the Regional University Center of the Center (CURC-UNAH) and as a political counterpart the Presidential Office for Climate Change (Clima +), Honduras.
For more information, contact: Judit Vanegas, AFCI-PRA Communication, jvanegas@snv.org (+505) 8510-1926