Agricultural producers recently gathered with government officials, development partners, and private sector representatives in Erandique, Lempira, for a “Field Day” event, highlighting ongoing efforts to strengthen rural livelihoods and agricultural productivity in western Honduras.
During the event, the President and CEO of ACDI/VOCA, Gevorg Adamyan, joined participants of the Integrated Rural Development and Productivity Project (SAG-ProOccidente), a project implemented by ACDI/VOCA and led by Honduras’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, or Secretaría de Agricultura y Ganadería (SAG). The event was hosted by Brisas del Valle, an agricultural producer group who helped showcase the progress achieved by SAG-ProOccidente’s support to smallholder farmers.
The event was chaired by the President of the Republic of Honduras, Nasry Asfura, and the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Moisés Abraham Molina. Participants had the opportunity to learn about how the project is providing technical assistance, climate-smart technologies, access to finance, and market connections to benefit smallholder farmers.
A New Investment in the SAG-ProOccidente Project
During the event, President Asfura announced an additional investment to expand SAG-ProOccidente’s work in western Honduras. The additional funding will extend support to approximately 4,500 producers in the Dry Corridor, a region that faces recurring droughts and other climate-related pressures that affect agricultural production and household incomes.
The expansion will scale up a development model that integrates productivity, climate resilience, social inclusion, and market linkages. By helping farmers improve their production while connecting them to more reliable commercial opportunities, the project aims to strengthen local economies and improve food security in the region.
A Strategic Alliance with Walmart Centroamérica
Another highlight of the “Field Day” event was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between ACDI/VOCA and Walmart Centroamérica, with President Asfura participating as a witness of honor. The agreement aims to strengthen the productive, entrepreneurial, and commercial capacities of small and medium-sized producers in Honduras and facilitate their access to formal, stable markets.
The alliance will combine ACDI/VOCA’s experience in value chain development, technical assistance, and business strengthening with Walmart’s capabilities in supplier development and market access, particularly through its Tierra Fértil program and its established network in Honduras of more than 110 stores, with over 900 in the Central America region.
This agreement represents a step forward in building new strategic alliances in Honduras by leveraging the resources of public and private organizations with a shared interest in promoting more inclusive, competitive, and sustainable supply chains. It is also proof that such cross-sector partnerships have the power to transform on-farm investments into concrete and sustainable business opportunities for farming families. Increased access to stable buyers and formal supply chains can help farmers secure more predictable incomes, reduce market uncertainty, and create opportunities for long-term growth.
“SAG-ProOccidente is demonstrating that investments in agricultural productivity, climate resilience, and market access can deliver meaningful results for farming families. This new funding and our partnership with Walmart Centroamérica will help expand those opportunities to thousands more producers, strengthening rural economies and building more sustainable and inclusive agricultural value chains.” — Gevorg Adamyan, President and CEO of ACDI/VOCA
Together, this new investment and public-private partnership between ACDI/VOCA and Walmart reflect a broader effort to build resilient agricultural systems in Honduras.
ABOUT SAG-PROOCCIDENTE
SAG-ProOccidente is a five-year initiative led by Honduras’s Secretariat of Agriculture and Livestock (SAG). ACDI/VOCA implements the “Strengthening Productive Development” component of the project. SAG-ProOccidente works with multiple partners, including local producers, the private sector, indigenous organizations, and small and medium enterprises, to build sustainable economic and climate resilience and reduce migration out of the country, promoting self-reliance through local ownership.
SAG-ProOccidente is providing technical assistance and training to more than 10,000 agriculture and livestock producers across six departments and 88 municipalities by helping them adopt new climate-smart technologies and practices and improving their access to finance.
Activities take place in the western departments of Honduras’ Dry Corridor, Santa Bárbara, Copán, Ocotepeque, Intibucá, Lempira, and La Paz, focusing on horticulture, fruit, coffee, cacao, dairy cattle, and those related to cultural products of ethnic origin.
The project is funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) through the Spanish Fund for Sustainable Development (FEDES).
Learn more about SAG-ProOccidente.
Learn more about our work in Honduras.
