Food Security

An estimated 80% of Honduran farmers operate outside the formal economy, leaving them unable to access regulated credit and forcing many to rely on informal lenders at unfavorable rates, a business leader says.

World Vision reported that 60.9% of farming families in the Dry Corridor of Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador lack sufficient food reserves, with 85.2% hit by erratic or late rains.

UNICEF told Congress that over 5,000 Honduran schools—about 27% of the total—lack access to clean water and sanitation, hampering child health and nutrition; lawmakers are exploring which state agency should coordinate repairs and technical support to municipalities.

The UN warns that El Niño will reach peak intensity in December 2026, but Honduras is already experiencing severe drought that is damaging maize and bean harvests and threatening food security for over 538,000 people, according to the FAO and UN agencies.

Rice producers warn the 2026 harvest could fall to just 150,000–160,000 quintals (about 6,800–7,300 metric tons), down from 446,000 in 2025, due to lack of price supports and competition from imports, leaving farmers unable to finance seeds and inputs.

Rice growers in Colón say mechanized land remains unseeded due to lack of financing, crop insurance, and guaranteed prices, threatening to reduce output below 2026 targets.

Honduras and the United Nations are mobilizing international support to address a drought emergency affecting food security, crop losses, and water shortages in the hardest-hit communities.

Honduras's National Risk Management Agency reports that 233 municipalities remain under drought alert, with 103 at the highest level, affecting 5.6 million people and threatening food security through crop losses and reduced rural employment in the south.

Rising water on the Goascorán River has isolated at least 12 communities in the Costa de los Amates area of Alianza municipality in Valle department, affecting some 4,000 people and disrupting food supplies and shrimp-farming operations.

A PINU-SD congressman introduced a bill this Tuesday to declare a national emergency and authorize mass food cultivation on unused state-owned land.

A severe drought in Santa Ana municipality has wiped out 85% of the maize harvest and damaged bean production, affecting over 1,600 farmers and threatening food security for families dependent on agriculture in the region.

Rural families from Honduras's drought-stricken Dry Corridor region brought their plight to Congress, citing crop losses, water scarcity, and pressure from extractive projects, and secured a commitment for broader dialogue on food security and livelihood protection.

Honduras is hosting the 68th annual meeting of the Central American cooperative program for crop and livestock improvement in Tela from September 28 to October 2, bringing together over 150 research projects aimed at boosting food production amid climate challenges.

A US humanitarian adviser visited El Triunfo, Choluteca, to review food, water, sanitation, and health programs financed by the Regional Humanitarian Fund for Latin America and the Caribbean to aid Honduran communities affected by El Niño.

Honduras, the United Nations, and humanitarian organizations launched an international appeal for $60 million to assist 538,000 people across 103 municipalities hit by severe drought, with over 75% of the country facing extreme rainfall deficits that threaten food production and livelihoods.

Honduras's farm and livestock federation warns of an expected severe drought in November and urges producers to use current rains in September and October to plant grains and stockpile feed, as agricultural output has fallen 35–40 percent.

Fosdeh researcher Jorge Henríquez warns that sustained inflation is forcing Honduran families to reduce food intake and nutrition, shift to cheaper staples, and take out loans to cover basic monthly expenses.

About 1.8 million Hondurans—roughly 17% of the population—face food crisis conditions, driven by drought and crop losses in the Dry Corridor, with Francisco Morazán, Cortés, and Yoro holding the largest affected populations.

The United Nations has activated an urgent response to a prolonged drought affecting 103 municipalities across Honduras's Dry Corridor, threatening food security and agricultural production as crop losses mount.

A congressional food-security committee met with agricultural ministry experts to review the Honduras Zero-Hunger 2035 program, which aims to integrate a national irrigation plan into the 2027 budget and advance Honduras's commitment to ending hunger by 2035.

Congress agricultural and food-security committees convened producers from five departments and government agencies to draft a law addressing land tenure, resource conflicts, and sustainable agriculture in regions including Colón, El Paraíso, Gracias a Dios, Olancho, and Yoro.

Honduras's congressional Food Security Commission met with the FAO and Spanish international development agency to review a family-agriculture proposal aimed at reducing food insecurity and helping small farmers become government suppliers.

Food prices across Honduras's basic basket are climbing due to fuel costs and weather damage, threatening families' ability to afford traditional holiday meals in December, warns a food-security researcher at UNAH.

Agriculture Minister Moisés Molina said Honduras is ready to begin cloud-seeding operations across 1.8–2 million hectares, mainly in the drought-stricken Dry Corridor, once suitable cloud formations appear and remaining equipment arrives.

A severe drought has destroyed maize and bean harvests for about 2,000 farming families in Cantarranas, Francisco Morazán, prompting the mayor to seek emergency aid from the government as farmers fear losing the fall planting season as well.

The Honduran government and United Nations agencies have distributed humanitarian assistance to over 37,000 families in drought-stricken municipalities, with plans to expand coverage and repeat aid in some areas depending on rainfall and harvest outcomes.

An Oxfam report on the dry corridor spanning El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras warns that El Niño-linked drought has slashed grain harvests, killed livestock, reduced water access, and forced families to buy expensive food, hitting rural women and children hardest and raising malnutrition risk.

Guatemala's vice president ordered a red alert for the Trifinio border region shared with Honduras and El Salvador, as El Niño–driven drought threatens corn and bean crops, rural employment, and food security across the three-country zone.

A prolonged drought in Honduras's Dry Corridor has left more than 68,000 families facing food insecurity due to crop failures and loss of agricultural income, with COPECO warning the number could rise if dry conditions persist.

Honduras's National Congress and the World Food Programme finalized a technical cooperation agreement to address severe drought affecting over 100 municipalities, targeting immediate food aid and longer-term irrigation and agricultural infrastructure.