Guatemala & Honduras: 546 Coffee Farms Boost Food Security

This article details TechnoServe's initiative in Guatemala and Honduras, where 546 coffee-farming families received seed kits valued at around $40 each, containing vegetables like swiss chard, spinach, carrots, squash, cilantro, radish, beets, onions, mustard greens, cucumber, cabbage, and pumpkin. These kits enable families to grow nutrient-rich produce near their homes, adding variety and flavor to meals that they typically cannot afford due to prioritizing farm expenses. Key to success is community-specific knowledge on optimal planting times and vegetable varieties that thrive locally. Farmers integrate regenerative agriculture practices for climate resilience, including incorporating organic matter into soil, composting with coffee pulp and other waste, using plant cover to retain moisture, prevent erosion, and enhance soil fertility, and planting living barriers around gardens. Banessa Guifarro, TechnoServe’s Business Advisor, emphasizes how these gardens provide reliable access to fresh food, strengthening nutrition, resilience, and well-being amid climate challenges in coffee-growing regions. The approach demonstrates practical, low-cost implementation for rural food security, with training ensuring adoption and sustained benefits like improved dietary diversity and household stability.