Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Incentives for Cocoa Crops

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

TEGUCIGALPA, Jul 27 2009 (IPS) - The non-governmental Foundation for Rural Business Development is working in the Honduran jungle region of La Mosquitia, applying ecological techniques to grow cocoa. Indigenous peoples there are beginning to lead sustainable businesses whose aim is to benefit their communities.

Cocoa cultivation has not been a strong sector in La Mosquitia, “but they have taught us techniques in harmony with nature that are giving good results, and we have already sowed the first hectares,” Rubén Rivas, a Miskito farmer who received training from the foundation, told Tierramérica.

The project, begun more than a year ago, has support from the Ministry of Natural Resources and currently operates in the region of Wampusirpe, where 150 Miskito families participate.

There are three ethnic groups living in La Mosquitia: Afro-Hondurans, and Miskito and Tawahka indigenous peoples – the latter are in danger of dying off.