Honduras

The Dry Corridor of Central America is in crisis. Extreme environmental degradation, increasingly unpredictable rainfall due to Climate Change, recurrent droughts, flooding, and other natural disasters threaten the lives and livelihoods of more than 10 million people living in this ecologically fragile region. 

AE+6 has proven to be an effective system for innovation and the spread of resilient agroecological practices through farmer experimentation and farmer-to-farmer learning. It is a hyper-efficient alternative to the conventional top-down, transfer of technology for scaling, and it also explicitly incorporates strategies to integrate gender, equity, and nutrition, which frequently are lacking in agriculture projects. Since 2016, in coordination with local governments, technical agencies, farmers’ organizations, and other local NGOs, Groundswell has used AE+6 to enable almost 40,000 smallholder farm households to improve their food security and resilience. 

More than a dozen case studies and policy briefs document the transformation of farming in the Sahel using AE+6.

Groundswell International exists to catalyze the transition from unsustainable conventional agriculture to ecologically-sound farming and food systems that regenerate the natural resource base, strengthen resilience to climate change, and restore local economies. Our work with smallholder farmers in developing countries enables them to address the root causes of environmental degradation, food insecurity, and economic vulnerability with a practical, “learning by doing” approach that builds their confidence while meeting their basic needs. We are eager to expand our work in the Dry Corridor to help end the hopeless downward spiral that too many farming families face. 

With a little help, small-scale farmers can become the protagonists of their own development and lead an agroecological revolution that can transform the landscape and bring health and well-being to one of the world’s most ecologically fragile and marginalized regions.

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Chris Sacco, Director of Program Management and is a co-founder of Groundswell, recently wrote an in-depth analysis of the crisis in the Dry Corridor. He examines why the situation is so dire and what we can do to help navigate farmers through these challenges, how agroecology helps farmers help themselves, and why sustainability practices in this region matter for the rest of the planet. You can read the full article on LinkedIn.