SPOTLIGHT

Helping Honduran Farmers Serve Better Markets

TechnoServe helps a group of farmers to increase their incomes by expanding and improving their product line and linking them to higher-value markets.

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Developing Entrepreneurs

Business Plan Competitions
Building on a model that has been successfully implemented in other countries in Central America, TechnoServe and local partners are now running the first national business plan competition, Idea tu Empresa, program in Honduras, to help fledgling entrepreneurs turn good ideas into thriving, growth-oriented businesses that generate jobs and markets in high potential agro-industry, manufacturing and tourism sectors.
Key supporters: Cargill, Grupo Lis Argos, Cervecería Hondureña, Navega and the U.S. Department of Agriculture

Building Businesses and Industries

Agriculture & Agribusiness › Cocoa
With its rich chocolate-producing history, ideal climate and distinct varieties of cocoa beans, Honduras is well-positioned to cater to the growing world demand for fine cocoa. TechnoServe is working with seven pilot groups, the government and international chocolate manufacturers to develop this industry. TechnoServe identified fine cocoa genetic material and is helping rural producers establish agroforestry systems based on fine cocoa, and to improve their farming and processing. The sector stands to increase in value from less than $1 million to $40 million in a few years, with the potential to create many new jobs and double the average cocoa farmer's income.
Key supporters: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cargill, Domori and Scharffen Berger

Agriculture & Agribusiness › Coffee
Honduras is Central America's largest coffee producer, but low regard for quality has given the country a poor reputation in world markets: less than 10 percent of the country's coffee is sold at a premium, despite favorable agro-climatic conditions. To help the industry live up to its potential to benefit the rural poor, TechnoServe has been helping more than 300 producers in 10 groups to produce higher-quality coffee in order to gain access to more lucrative premium markets.
Key supporters: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Inter-American Development Bank and IHCAFE (Honduran Coffee Institute)

Agriculture & Agribusiness › Dairy
TechnoServe is helping dairy producers gain access to higher-paying but more demanding domestic and regional markets. Business advisors are working with several artisanal cheese processing plants to improve their efficiency, bring their sanitation up to modern standards and establish links with more attractive markets. The effort has led to improved quality and higher profits. This in turn is increasing demand for better quality raw materials, increasing primary production yields and putting more money into the pockets of hundreds of small-scale dairy farmers.
Key supporters: U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and Wal-Mart

Agriculture & Agribusiness › Horticulture
High-value horticultural crops are a particularly attractive industry segment for Honduras. TechnoServe is working to develop a sustainable horticultural sector by focusing on crops – such as roots and tubers, hot and sweet peppers, and cool-weather vegetables – that leverage Honduras' advantages. TechnoServe is helping producers to implement better agricultural techniques and to obtain financing, build infrastructure and establish links with high-end markets such as supermarkets and restaurants. As the businesses' efficiency and revenues have increased, so have the incomes of hundreds of rural producers. New jobs have also been created.
Key supporters: U.S. Department of Agriculture and Pizza Hut