CLIMATE RISK MANAGEMENT FOR SMALLHOLDER AGRICULTURE IN HONDURAS

The report identifies Honduras as highly vulnerable to climate hazards, particularly droughts and tropical cyclones, which threaten the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and national development goals. It highlights significant gaps in climate data, institutional coordination, and adaptive capacity, while proposing a suite of local actions—such as improved water management and agroforestry—and national policy mainstreaming to reduce vulnerability.

• Honduras is exceptionally vulnerable to extreme weather; between 1990 and 2009, it was the third-most-affected country globally, with annual economic losses exceeding 3 percent of GDP.
• Climate projections indicate a hotter and drier future for Honduras, with the most significant temperature increases and rainfall reductions expected in the south and west between June and August.
• Smallholder agriculture is highly sensitive to climate change; modelling suggests that by 2050, average yields for maize could decrease by 12 percent and bean yields by 32 percent compared to 2000 levels.
• Smallholders possess limited adaptive capacity due to low income, poor education, and high levels of land degradation, often relying on unsustainable coping mechanisms like deforestation or migration.
• The agricultural sector faces massive economic shocks from climate events, exemplified by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, which caused over US$2 billion in agricultural losses.
• Honduras lacks sufficient climate information and infrastructure, characterized by patchy weather data, a shortage of climatologists, and underdeveloped early-warning systems.
• While Honduras has established coordinating bodies like COPECO for disaster risk and SERNA for climate change, there is a lack of institutional integration between disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.
• Climate risk is not thoroughly mainstreamed into key sectoral policies; specifically, the 'Public Sector Strategy on Agriculture and Food' lacks specific objectives or actions to reduce climate risks.
• Priority risk management actions for smallholders include the establishment of micro-irrigation systems, the adoption of agroforestry, and the creation of multi-stakeholder watershed councils.

APA

Keller, M. (2013). CLIMATE RISK MANAGEMENT FOR SMALLHOLDER AGRICULTURE IN HONDURAS. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/crm_honduras.pdf

Chicago

Keller, Marius. CLIMATE RISK MANAGEMENT FOR SMALLHOLDER AGRICULTURE IN HONDURAS. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2013. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/crm_honduras.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Keller |first1=Marius |title=CLIMATE RISK MANAGEMENT FOR SMALLHOLDER AGRICULTURE IN HONDURAS |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=January 2013 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/crm_honduras.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{keller2013climate, author = {Keller, Marius}, title = {{CLIMATE RISK MANAGEMENT FOR SMALLHOLDER AGRICULTURE IN HONDURAS}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2013}, month = jan, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/crm_honduras.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }