Strengthening the cocoa value chain associated with agroforestry systems in the north-western corridor of Honduras

• Country: Honduras
  Location: Copán, Santa Bárbara and San Antonio
  Start date: 01/04/2015
  End date: 31/03/2017
  Applicant(s): Fundación ETEA
  Local partner(s): Fundación Hondureña de Investigación Agrícola (FHIA)
  Funder: AACID
  Funding: 300.000,00 EUR

The aim of the project is to contribute to improving the quality of life of cocoa-producing families by strengthening the cocoa value chain associated with agroforestry systems in the north-western corridor of Honduras.

Cocoa cultivation is promoted in agroforestry systems, which allows for sustainable use of natural resources and high profitability. The expected results include an increase in the areas under cocoa cultivation, the production of quality cocoa by trained organisations that carry out direct marketing. This project aims to support the value chain as a whole and economic diversification initiatives that ensure access to food for the beneficiary families. The project aims to directly support 300 producers. For its implementation, a strategy has been designed, based on the identification of the problems of the sector and the analysis of the potential of the crop, strengthening the capacities of the actors and the structures of their organisations, in the production phase, in the agricultural diversification part, through the cultivation of fruit and timber crops, which enrich the association and allow greater profitability, and in the post-harvest phase, training will be provided to achieve, through an adequate post-harvest process, a high quality with which high sales prices can be generated. To this end, alliances are sought with the international market to achieve commercial relations with high benefits for the producer, commercial alliances to generate greater added value at the time of sale of the dried cocoa bean.