Productive projects and environmental conservation efforts will be carried out in parallel in at least 80 communities in the desert south of Honduras, along the El Salvador border, presidential spokeswoman Armida López Contreras told Tierramérica With the backing of Swedish cooperation, the projects are set to begin in three months.

''By giving people the opportunity to work on productive initiatives that are friendly to nature we can fight to serious problems: poverty and environmental degradation,'' said López Contreras.

Governor Soraya Reyes, of the southern department of Valle, told Tierramérica that neglect has driven many local communities into poverty, and that malnutrition now reaches 32.2 percent.

Valle is home to 156,023 people, most living in situations of extreme poverty, according to the United Nations.