An initiative to mitigate the effects of drought and to prevent desertification in 10 of the 18 departments of Honduras began two weeks ago with public hearings and the identification of productive projects. José María Ordóñez, deputy minister of agriculture, told Tierramérica that involving the communities in the effort goes a long way towards achieving positive results in sustainable development.

The departments included in the initiative suffer moderate to severe drought. Environmental groups, like the Committee for the Protection of Flora and Fauna in the Gulf of Fonseca, say that if mangroves and other coastal species continue to decline, Central America's first desert could be formed.

The project is part of a Latin American strategy of creating multi-sectoral committees on drought, said Ordóñez.