Central America

Can an innovative approach to teaching school students also transform how we train entrepreneurs and smallholder farmers around the world?

The last coffee farmer in his family, Axel Gutiérrez took TechnoServe training to heart as he tried to keep his farm operational. Now, after much hard work, he expects to double his profits this year.

TechnoServe’s Angelica Cubas Pérez visits a farmer in Nicaragua. This is the story that unfolded over lunch.

A cacao farmer in Nicaragua reaches the global stage as his chocolate rolls off a conveyor belt in Denmark. But not everything goes as planned. It isn’t long before climate change tests his resilience.

Around the world, climate change is making it more difficult for smallholder farmers to grow coffee. Take our quiz to find out what kind of coffee fits you best, then learn how TechnoServe is helping preserve this coffee through improving farmers’ resilience to climate threats.

In Central America, the number of young people entering the job market outpaces the availability of jobs. But many young people lack the skills they need to find or create economic opportunities, leading them to seek a better future elsewhere. How can thriving small and growing businesses reverse this trend?

In Guatemala, shifting weather patterns and increased natural disasters are creating additional challenges for smallholder produce farmers like Manuel Guarcas Batzibal. TechnoServe is working with these farmers to boost their climate resilience while also addressing challenges related to high production costs, price volatility, and informal market connections.

In an important ecological buffer zone of northeastern Honduras, farmers are learning how to improve their coffee productivity while preserving the natural landscape. A TechnoServe program helped farmers raise productivity by 200% while still ensuring the environmental sustainability of the largest protected land in the country.

It seems simple – people who make their living growing food should have enough of it to feed themselves. But around the world, smallholder farmers are often disproportionately affected by hunger. Read on to discover four reasons behind this apparent paradox – and how you can help fight food insecurity alongside these farmers and their families.

In Nicaragua, agriculture — and livestock production, in particular — is a primary driver of deforestation. Over the years, as cattle ranching has increased, so has land degradation throughout the country. By adopting silvopastoral systems, which integrate trees, shrubs, and grasses with livestock, farmers can improve their livelihoods and restore local ecosystems.