Bringing American Dream to Honduras Through Land Reform

Although it is technically part of the North American continent the ‘American Dream’ does not apply to peasant farmers in Central America. No matter how hard you pull, it is impossible to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. Here, if you want to get ahead, someone has to reach down to give you a hand up. This hand up is possible through land reform in Honduras.

As someone born into poverty, Luis Alonso Pineda, 49, knows firsthand the obstacles he and others face when trying to break the cycle of poverty. He shares:

“For people in Honduras, even though you work and you give forth great effort, you still will not reach your dreams unless you get an opportunity”

Growing up in the countryside, Alonso never had the opportunity to get an education because it was too dangerous for him to travel all the way to the nearest school. So, like others in his circumstances, Alonso learned by doing. He started working young: by the age of 15 he was helping his parents with their crops. At 18, he started working formally as a day laborer. “I worked on someone else’s land to see if I could help my parents pay for food etc…” he remembers.

Although Alonso married and started his own family, his circumstances never changed. “I always depended on someone else,” he says. “I wanted to have a better life, a better future,” he says. “[But], I did not have any hope. [I had accepted the fact] that this was my life, working for someone else.”

But then he heard about an organization in 2008 that was going to help create land reform in Honduras. This organization would give poor farmers the opportunity to purchase land on credit. Alonso was among the first in line. “I told my friends, this is the opportunity.”’”

After years of hard work and credit from Agros, land reform in Honduras is a reality. The village of Bella Vista is this reality.

“Agros keeps its promises,” says Alonso, who is also the three-time community president of Bella Vista. “It keeps them to the degree that the villager is willing to put forth their effort and value the effort that Agros is making,” he says, highlighting the fact that Agros gives people a hand up instead of a hand out. Land reform in Honduras is the opportunity to climb to a better life. But the destination cannot be reached without hard work and sacrifice.

Barring any unforeseen issues, Alonso estimates that they will finish paying for their land in two years — ahead of schedule. “It makes me feel happy [to know that the land is almost paid for],” he says. “It means that my efforts are not in vain and we were able to achieve our goals.”

Thanks to support for Agros land reform in Honduras and the subsequent economic reform is creating sustainable futures for the rural poor. Our Coffee Lovers Club members are a part of this process. 1% from every shipment goes back to Agros to help continue the work of land reform in Honduras and through out Central America.

Want to be part of the solution of land reform in Honduras?

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Helping rural poor Nicaragua has been a goal of Agros since 1999. Here is a story of Agros’s work in Nicargua helping rural poor Nicaragua. This is Efrain and Orbelinda’s story.

Driving along the gravel road that runs no more than 100 yards from Efrain’s house, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to know that just up the hill, hidden behind some trees, is a small neighborhood. The cluster of shelters scattered along the hillside, many of them made at least partly out of black plastic, look more like a squatter community, which is essentially what it is, except it is legal.

These homes sit on a piece of land that belongs to the Nicaraguan government. They set aside this piece of land so people who have nothing could have somewhere legitimate (and out of sight) to settle. There is no entrance, no running water, no electricity, and no sewer.

Like other families in the area, Efrain, 28, his wife, Orbelinda, 31, and their four children: Jeyner, 11; Selena, 8; Yesica, 6, and Malin, 3, live without guarantees that they will be able to stay. “[The land is] not mine,” explains Efrain. “We don’t have any documents that show us as the owners.””

The words ‘struggle’ and ‘survive’ come up often in the conversation with Efrain and Orbelinda. Although they try to remain positive, they are honest about what life looks like for them as landless farmers and day laborers.

Their house is no more than 50 square feet, the walls are made of thin wood boards and provide a small measure of privacy. But with the wide gaps between the walls, the family has very little protection from the elements. “When it rains hard or when there is wind, the rain comes inside,” says Orbelinda, noting that the roof (which is made of black plastic) also leaks. Without running water or an easily accessible water source, the family must trek to a nearby creek to bathe, wash, and collect water. They, along with all the other families in the area, use the water source for all these activities, so naturally the water is not very clean.

Efrain works hard as a day laborer on nearby farms to try to provide for his family’s needs. Orbelinda conservatively estimates that they need between $3 and $5 a day just to provide basic food (beans and tortillas) for their family of six. Efrain doesn’t make that much as a day laborer so he tries to make ends meet by growing some of their food. The problem is, he doesn’t have his own land.

I rent land to cultivate, he explains. This growing season, he has rented two manzanas (about 5 acres) to grow beans. In addition to the cost of the seeds and fertilizers necessary for his crop to succeed, he also owes the landowner about $220 for the use of the land.

Nevertheless, Efrain never misses an opportunity. “I’m not afraid of hard work,” he says. “I like hard work.” The only problem is that at least to date it seems, to him, that the harder he works the further behind he seems to get. It doesn’t seem to matter how much effort he invests, a brighter future and the dream of independence seem to get further and further away.

He doesn’t want much, just a chance to control his own destiny and the opportunity to provide a better future for his children. “I would like to have a dignified place to live and my own land to plant,” he says. That’s all.

But although he dreams of owning his own land, when he wakes up each day he is confronted by the daily need to simply survive. “I’ve always just been able to harvest enough for our food,” he says.

For all these reasons, Efrain was excited to learn about the opportunities from Agros how they are helping rural poor Nicaragua. Efrain is excited to try new agricultural techniques. “I like to do things the right way,” he says, explaining how he has meticulously implemented the guidance from the Agros agricultural technicians. “I am seeing the change in the success of this harvest in the area where we applied the techniques from Agros,” he says.

Today, Efrain is a bit more optimistic about his future with Agros helping rural poor Nicaragua. He hopes his family will be selected to move when the new village is established. “For me, the hardest thing [in life] is the land [having my own land],” he says which is why being part of the new regional project would be, as he says — a dream come true!”

Thanks to our Coffee Lovers Club members helping rural poor Nicaragua is possible. 2% from every club shipment goes back helping rural poor Nicaragua and other countries through our partnerships with Agros and Food 4 Farmers. You too can help with your daily cup of coffee. Join the Coffee Lovers Club and get your first pound free

Nuevo Futuro: The Colombian Farm of New Futures

Nuevo Futuro or New Futures is a small association of 200 indigenous Colombian coffee producers. These producers are led by the dynamic, Luz Elva Chacon. Chacon feels Nuevo Futuro will be successful because they work together to promote ownership and income diversification for each farmer.

With the help of Coffee Lovers like you, Nuevo Futuro are investing in new food security projects. These projects include home gardens, new clean water systems, and chicken and egg production. These projects will diversify the income and food sources of Nuevo Futuro. These projects will provide a much needed source of protein and additional income for the families to build their future together.