Food Security

Congress unanimously approved a measure requiring the emergency agency Copeco, the Agriculture Ministry, and the municipal association Amhon to report within two weeks on drought conditions affecting 75 municipalities in the Dry Corridor, where El Niño has cut rainfall by half.

Honduras is spending 62 million lempiras (roughly $2.5 million) to aid 75 municipalities hit by El Niño-driven drought, with 38 facing the highest food-security risks and receiving priority support for water, food, health care, and irrigation.

Agroindustrial leader Gustavo Flores cautioned that climate change could disrupt Honduras's agricultural output and threaten the country's food security and access to basic grains.

The government announced imports of beans from Brazil, Nicaragua, and Paraguay to prevent shortages affecting 1.7 million people facing food insecurity, but an agricultural anthropologist warns the strategy undermines local farmers and discourages domestic production.

Anthropologist Mario Ardón argues that Honduras should invest in 10–30 year agricultural policy leveraging the country's diverse microclimates and hillside farming, rather than importing beans and grains, to address food insecurity affecting roughly 1.7 million Hondurans.

Humanitarian flights are delivering 3,000 pounds of food to communities in Gracias a Dios hit by heavy rains and flooding, as authorities warn that 80–85% of crops were destroyed and disease risks including malaria are rising.

The Agricultural Marketing Institute director said a legal investigation into bean supplies is nearing conclusion, with the government holding about 100,000 quintals (roughly 4,500 metric tons) in reserve to prevent shortages and expects authorization within days to proceed with sales.

A year-long drought has reduced agricultural supply and driven up prices for everyday produce, with the basic food basket rising 6.16% (about 800 lempiras / $30) since June 2025, and the food-security observatory warning that 2.8 million Hondurans could face food insecurity by year-end.

The government unveiled a multisectoral plan to combat food insecurity by 2035, coordinating 13 ministries to boost agricultural output, expand irrigation and financing, establish grain reserves, and strengthen school nutrition programs in rural areas.

Honduras's basic food basket jumped 800 lempiras (about $32) in a year, a 6.16% increase driven by higher meat and fruit costs, while drought affecting 75 municipalities threatens to push 2.8 million Hondurans into food insecurity by year's end.

Agriculture Minister Moisés Molina announced that Honduras will import 100,000 quintals (about 4,500 metric tons) of beans from Nicaragua, Paraguay, and Brazil to offset a drought-driven 40% drop in domestic production and stabilize prices for a staple of the Honduran diet.

The government said strategic bean reserves held by the agricultural marketing institute exceed storage targets by 10–15%, ensuring adequate supply despite drought, and has identified potential import suppliers as a backup plan.

Engineer Dulio Medina warned Honduras faces a food crisis without a clear agricultural strategy, citing low valley output and rural farming deficits.

Honduras's agriculture ministry held an international workshop on bean breeding with scientists from the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) to develop improved varieties that resist disease, tolerate climate stress, and boost yields, addressing the country's annual demand of about 3 million quintals (roughly 135,000 metric tons).

Engineer Dulio Medina cautioned that Honduras faces a possible shortage of beans and other staple grains after drought and planting failures in Olancho and El Paraíso reduced crop supply for coming weeks.

Honduras's emergency agency announced humanitarian assistance for about 75 municipalities hit by drought and delayed rains, with food distribution starting in late July, targeting the hardest-hit zones in the Dry Corridor.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization will invest $2.15 million to strengthen food security for 4,000 families in Choluteca, Valle, and Comayagua affected by drought and climate variability through cash transfers, agricultural kits, irrigation systems, and grain-bank support.

Drought, soaring prices for seeds and fertilizer, and limited access to credit are cutting production of Honduras's staple grains, corn and beans, officials warn.

A grain producer warns that an extended dry season from mid-July through early October, driven by climate change and El Niño, could reduce maize and bean output by roughly two million quintals (about 90,000 metric tons) in the dry corridor, deepening food insecurity for subsistence farming families.

Honduras inaugurated the UN-backed International Year of Women Farmers 2026 to recognize rural women's role in food production and address gaps in their access to land, credit, and technology, with data showing only 12% own land and 70% lack formal bank credit.

An agricultural leader in Olancho expressed alarm over a severe drought threatening dry-season plantings and grain production, calling the current conditions unprecedented and warning of potential food-security risks.

The Agriculture Ministry and Tegucigalpa's municipal government began distributing certified seeds and fertilizers to 240 small farmers across 23 rural villages in the capital, a program worth more than 1.1 million lempiras (about $44,000) aimed at boosting food security and reducing production costs.

A UNAH food-security monitor reports sustained increases in basic food costs—beef, pork, eggs, oil, and beans up 1–10 lempiras per item in early June—outpacing minimum-wage gains and pushing an estimated 2.2 million Hondurans toward food insecurity by year-end.

The Vice Minister of Coffee said Honduras has sufficient supplies of beans and corn to meet domestic demand despite drought affecting several regions of the country.

Honduras's agricultural science agency is strengthening the genetic traits of corn, rice, and beans to improve their resilience to drought and climate-change impacts.

Small-scale rancher Rolando Pastrana of Morolica, Choluteca, has lost six cattle to extreme heat and lack of water and feed, burning the carcasses to prevent contamination, as drought-stricken families in the area wait for rain with no government aid in sight.

Agriculture Minister Moisés Molina says no cattle deaths have been reported from the ongoing drought affecting 75 municipalities, though he acknowledged that poor preparation and lack of feed—compounded by the dry spell—are causing animal losses in some areas.

Agriculture Minister Moisés Molina warned that Honduras faces a prolonged dry season exceeding two months due to El Niño, threatening grain production and food security, though the government has allocated 1.5 billion lempiras in production incentives and will provide technical support to farmers.

Domestic rice output has fallen below 500,000 quintals against annual demand of 6 million, leaving Honduras to import roughly 90% of its supply from the US, Brazil, and Paraguay.

Cattle are dying across a 75-municipality drought zone in southern Honduras as farmers and ranchers, who counted on rains in May, struggle without water or fodder and wait for government aid.