January 5 - 10, 1999

JANUARY 5

Zamorano Panamerican Agricultural School (Escuela Agrmcola Panamericana) Dr. Keith Andrews, Richard Knab, Eduardo Aguilar, Javier _______, and other Zamorano faculty and administrative members. [I didn't take notes, but it may be worthwhile to say something about this meeting since it set the context for our stay in Zamorano and was the first time we met the Zamorano staff that accompanied and supported us throughout the week]

JANUARY 6

Zamorano Office of Planning and Development Eduardo Aguilar, Planning and Development Manager, proposed three different levels of collaboration between Zamorano and SEEDS, ranging from small scale short term efforts to broader scale longer term projects. The first level would consist of projects limited to Mitch related damage, such as the reconstruction of small bridges and other basic infrastructure. The second level would focus on the broader development of the Yeguare Region, of which Zamorano is a part. Examples of projects at this level include those of UNIR, through which Zamorano has played an important role in stimulating and enabling local communities in developing their own project proposals, ranging from infrastructure and community credit groups, to nutrition and community planning. The third level, requiring a longer term strategy, would revolve around forecasting the impact of the ongoing population growth of Tegucigalpa and Jicarito on Zamorano, particularly regarding its supply and allocation of water.

Zamorano Office of Services Javier _____________, Zamorano Services Manager, presented three projects currently underway which could benefit from linkages with the SEEDS network.

1. Design of improved water system for Zamorano. Mitch changed the flow of water sources on which Zamorano has traditionally depended. As a result, Zamorano is faced with the challenge of harnessing a dependable supply of water for the future, not only for the campus, but also for the surrounding communities.

2. Design of water system for Jicarito. Jicarito, the closest town (aldeia) to Zamorano, depends on a precarious water system. The town and its water system have expanded without any sort of planning and, consequently, the water system is unreliable and insufficient to meet the demands of the community, particularly during the summer months.

3. Resettlement Project. Zamorano is planning a resettlement project for two groups: the 80 families that lost their homes to Mitch in Jicarito and the 65 squatter families currently residing in Suyatillo. The resettlement, which is planned to be located on Zamorano land only a few miles from Jicarito, aims at providing an improved living environment for these families. The idea is for settlers to buy land from Zamorano (with Zamorano-backed financing in many cases), while allowing Zamorano to design the houses, streets, services, and other amenities.

JANUARY 7

Yuscaran Local Government

Don Alejandro, sitting in for Mayor Maria Chaves, spoke of how the town of Yuscaran responded to the damages left by Mitch. According to Don Alejandro, the Yuscaran people saw a level of solidarity never before present. The role of an effective leader was also clear. Mayor Chaves immediately organized the locals in reconstructing the main access way to town and in restoring the water system. Within three days following Mitch, the town once again had their water system up and running and soon thereafter the access way was complete.

JANUARY 8

Consultative Commission on Agriculture, National Reconstruction Cabinet Don Mario Nufio, a Zamorano graduate, member of the Zamorano Board of Trustees, agricultural grower, and member of the Consultative Commission on Agriculture, spoke about the Honduran government's strategy to reconstruct the nation's productive sector after Mitch. The federal government basically set up a Reconstruction Cabinet, directly linked to the Presidency, which encompasses commissions representing each sector within the economy. Each commission is responsible for assessing sectoral damages and proposing priority projects. The Consultative Commission on Agriculture, for instance, represents the interests and needs of the fruit companies, independent producers, and cattle growers. Agriculture is particularly important for Honduras because it makes up about 45% of GNP and 70% of value of exports. Among the main challenges facing the sector, Don Mario emphasized the difficulty of obtaining enough credit to once again begin productive activities because most growers have only limited, if any, guarantees to present the banks.

Fundacion Maria The Fundacion Maria is a private, non-profit institution founded and led by First Lady Mary Flores aimed at improving " the Honduran family's overall well-being, education, recreation, formation of businesses and/or business and cultural growth, among others." Most projects are targeted towards lower income women and children. Proposed projects include a nutritional program for mothers and young children, building shelters similar to the Ronald McDonald House, a children's museum emphasizing cultural heritage, and a children's science center. Specifically related to Mitch, the Fundacion has collaborated with government agencies in assuring the appropriate foods for children staying in the government established shelters. The Fundacion has also worked in identifying isolated communities affected by Mitch that have not received support from the Red Cross, NGOs, or government agencies.

Honduran Agricultural Policy Development Program (Programa para el= Desarollo de Polmticas Agrmcolas de Honduras) - PRODEPAH Luis Antonio Ortez Turcios, general manager of the Honduras forestry institute [need correct title and agency name], discussed the problems and challenges facing reforestation throughout the country. After Mitch, Honduras faces escalating threats of forest fires because of the increased accumulation of biomass in the mountains. Some other challenges facing the rural areas were presented by Ricardo Arias Brito, the National Coordinator of Rural Area Administration Project and former Ministry of Agriculture. Mr. Arias emphasized some of the problems facing the reconstruction of productive activities such as banana, melon, and shrimp production [Arias actually spent considerable time discussing three different fronts his agency was working on through a World Bank project; anyone have details?]

United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization - FAO The Honduras FAO office [anyone have names and positions? There was Myra _________; Carlos Andres Elyra, the oficial de programas; and the Scottish director] presented an assessment of some Mitch related damages in rural areas and specific projects they believe either reduced possible damages or that can reduce the vulnerability to future natural disasters. One such project is the Proyecto Lempira-Sul, an agroflorestry project which enabled specific communities to increase their crop productivity while also improving their soils, which were less vulnerable to Mitch related erosion relative to other communities that maintained traditional production practices midst increasing population pressures. Other projects include the design and implementation of integrated pest management, alternative sources of energy, and pig production with small communities throughout rural Honduras. The presentation also highlighted the differences Mitch had on the vallies (valles) and on the hillsides (laderas) and how each system will require its own strategy to overcome the Mitch related damages and to sustain future growth. When asked about particular needs in this reconstruction effort, the director mentioned that these rural communities need, above all else, managerial capacity. That is, beyond any given technology, working with these communities requires "capacidad de conceptualizar," a certain sensibility to understand the demand-driven needs of the community, to understand what they are doing, how and why.

JANUARY 9

Fundaci San Jose Obrero

Located in Choluteca, southern Honduras, the Fundacion was begun and is run by Father Alejandro Lopez. A native Cuban who moved to Choluteca thirty years ago, Father Alejandro has gradually built the Fundaci, which presently serves the Choluteca community with microenterprises (leather goods and wood furniture), technical training (electrical and contracting work), a day care center, a health clinic, cultural activities, and housing projects, among other activities. Father Alejandro discussed how Mitch affected Choluteca, whose economy is based primarily on the shrimp and melon industries, the latter of which was literally washed away. He emphasized, however, that Mitch cannot be blamed for all the damage, since substantial damage existed prior to Mitch given the already vulnerable socioeconomic conditions of the population. "Mitch hasn't ended," he added, "its tale end brings in delinquency and illness." JANUARY 10 Zamorano [Amalia and Adriana, if you think appropriate, add a brief paragraph on the closing meetings with Eduardo and Keith Andrews. It may be appropriate here since I'm assuming the meeting served to wrap up our weeklong "mission" of which the above meetings were a part]

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Raquel S. Gomes

Department of Urban Studies and Planning

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Contact during January 1999:

Tel: (301) 299-0220

E-mail: raquel@mit.edu

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