Dwarf bananas to create jobs in rural Honduras

January 8, 2016

People in the village of Monterrey, Honduras have a new employment opportunity.

Just Hope has pledged support for a dwarf banana enterprise that will provide jobs for many in the community. Consisting of about 60 households, Monterrey is a beautiful country village but offers little in the way of employment due to destruction caused by Hurricane Mitch. Many have been forced to leave the village in search of jobs in the city.

Orlando is a local farm owner/operator who has significant agricultural experience. He has the skills and the land to plant a banana crop, as well as a buyer agreement with a company that will give best practices training to ensure a successful crop.

Our “hand up” to Orlando and to several in the village will be the funding of immediate jobs for locals to prepare the fields, plant the bananas and maintain the crop during the first cycle. After the first crop cycle (approximately 10 months), projected revenue will make the farm a self-sustaining operation that will increase household income and food security for many in the village. The infusion of this income will have a ripple effect in the community, creating greater stability for its people, and stemming the flow of workers away from the village.

We look forward to walking beside Orlando and his employees over the first few years with accounting principles, budgeting, outside resources, and possible oversight to ensure this project’s sustainability.