Honduras: Benefits of action and costs of inaction in agricultural water reservoir project in Azacualpa

At national level, the Presidential Commission for Coordination of the Water Sector in Honduras (CONAGUAH) was created in 2015 to promote activities for drought-stricken communities, coordinated by the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock (SAG). Also, the Governmental Drought Action Plan for Food Security, provides food assistance to 161,403 families in municipalities affected by severe and moderate drought. Within this framework, the Irrigation and Drainage Directorate of SAG, through its National Water Harvesting Project, developed a strategy to build 27 reservoirs to address the problem.

The reservoirs range from 3,100 to 67,000 m³ in volume, and from 2.75 to 8 meters in depth, with the potential to provide year-round irrigation to 128 hectares. The project included capacity building and support for technical and organisational aspects for operation, maintenance and sustainability; including an irrigation system maintenance program, as well as the start-up of the Irrigation Districts.

The Irrigation Districts establish a need-based irrigation schedule to ensure all users have equal access to water; and have a legal structure recognised by national authorities to exploit the reservoirs. Reservoirs were built following technical design criteria that would ensure the best possible outcome from the intervention. Only 11% of reservoirs had to be waterproofed due to the type of soil. All other reservoirs are fully functional. The project prompted a local private initiative to build eight additional reservoirs, expanding the area under irrigation to a total of 183 ha.

The reservoirs allowed staggered planting, strengthening of the horticultural value chain, increasing sales and production cycles, employment, income generation, and the local distribution of economic benefits, transitioning to commercial production. Per capita income rose from US$ 1.60 per day to US$ 3.84 per day (41.5%), moving beyond the poverty line in the international poverty rate indicator.

They have also increased the diversification of the type of crops grown from 10 to 15, and the number of cycles from 2 to 4, for those with irrigation, and from 1 to 4 for those who had no irrigation prior to action, increasing the capacity to meet market demands. The irrigation districts have joined other community organizations, increasing the sense of community belonging, well-being and usefulness generated through the reservoirs, also contributing to labour and family stability, and to social cohesion; by encouraging and reinforcing the population’s roots to the site. In addition, the project has enabled greater participation by women in family productive activities.