Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Moringa Trees for Reforestation and Nutrition

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

TEGUCIGALPA, May 7 2012 (IPS) - The moringa tree (Moringa oleifera), native to India, is being used in Honduras to reforest the area around the Nacaome River dam, in the southern department of Valle, as well as to provide a nutritious source of food for local communities. The initiative is being promoted by the non-governmental organization BioPlanet. Jack Haime, a representative of the organization, told Tierramérica that the area around the dam is being reforested with 400 moringa trees as part of a pilot project in southern Honduras, a region with high rates of poverty and dry soils.

According to Haime, moringa trees can adapt to any type of soil, and their leaves, flowers and seed pods can contribute to improving the diets of poor communities.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock has announced similar initiatives in various parts of western Honduras, which is another area of high poverty.