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In Honduras, a quarter of women live in rural areas and face severe obstacles in gaining access to productive resources such as land, tools and credit. These obstacles limit their economic autonomy and ability to obtain financing or access to technology. Their workload, which includes both domestic and agricultural tasks, still remains invisible and unpaid, perpetuating their vulnerability. Furthermore, they are often excluded from important production and management decisions, which rarely benefit them directly anyway.
In this context of inequality, women like Ninfa Margarita Lanza Hernández are making a difference through sustainable initiatives in their community.
By creating the Arca de Esperanza (Arc of Hope) bio factory and implementing ecological farming practices, Ninfa not only increases the productivity of her crops, but also contributes to the reduction of carbon emissions, demonstrating the fundamental role of rural women in building a green future.
With her farm in Azabache, El Paraíso, Ninfa Lanza is a model of sustainability in the rural community.
In 2006, she decided to no longer use chemicals and adopted ecological practices instead, transforming her farm into a diversified area with coffee crops, fruit trees and a bio factory of organic products.
Thanks to her constant training and passion for learning, she has become a leading consultant in sustainable agriculture, training more than 20 farmer groups in environmentally friendly practices.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is one of the main challenges to mitigate climate change. In El Paraíso, Honduras, we are implementing the Paraíso Verde project, funded by the European Union, to promote the transition to more environmentally friendly agricultural systems that will improve soil quality, sequester carbon and promote biodiversity.
This forward-thinking, sustainability-oriented vision is part of Swisscontact’s approach, which is implemented around the country through various initiatives such as this one.
A key element in decarbonisation is the use of bio factories, areas where organic inputs such as fertilizers, biofertilizers and pesticides are produced from natural resources.
Field Schools (FS) have become a fundamental pillar for teaching sustainable and climate-smart agricultural practices. Here, farmers learn to manage their land efficiently, promoting the use of bio-inputs that improve soil health and reduce carbon emissions.
These initiatives are participatory and inclusive, aimed at enabling more and more women and young people to learn good practices in sustainable agriculture.
The Field Schools (FS) also encourage the creation of bio factories, which reduce the need of chemical inputs, improve soil fertility, and shorten productive cycles by reusing waste, all of which contributes to a circular economy and the decarbonization of the agricultural sector.
Field Schools (FS) also promote support networks where farmers share innovations and solutions. Women like Ninfa, who train, and guide groups committed to organic production, are critical if these communities are to adopt sustainable practices.
Reducing inequality in rural Honduras means that more women, like Ninfa Lanza, have access to better opportunities. This translates into greater food security and fairer, more sustainable development for rural communities, with a special focus on empowering women.