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Abstract
Based on a survey of 48 communities in central Honduras, this paper identifies
the major pathways of development that have been occurring in central Honduras since
the mid-1970s, their causes and implications for agricultural productivity, natural
resource sustainability, and poverty. Six pathways of development were identified: 1)
basic grains expansion communities—where basic grains production is the dominant
activity and increased basic grains production has occurred; 2) basic grains stagnation
communities—where basic grains production is dominant but has stagnated or declined;
3) coffee expansion communities—where coffee production is important and has been
increasing in importance; 4) horticultural expansion communities—where substantial
adoption and expansion of horticultural crops has occurred; 5) forestry specialization
communities—where forestry activities are important and basic grains production is
stagnant or declining; and 6) nonfarm employment communities—where nonfarm
employment is a major and increasing source of income. The pathways were
distinguished by factors determining comparative advantage, including agricultural
potential, population density, and access to markets and technology. Changes in
agriculture and resource management differ significantly among these pathways, though
poverty was found to decline to a similar extent across all pathways. It appears that the
key causes of change in productivity and resource management are different and more
pathway-dependent than the key causes of change in poverty, which depends to a great
extent on provision of public services. Basic infrastructure and public services are badly
needed throughout most of central Honduras, while efforts to address sustainable
agricultural development may not be sufficient to solve poverty problems. There may not
be large tradeoffs between achieving more sustainable development and reducing
poverty, since the causes are different. The findings also imply that a “one-size-fits-all”
approach to technical assistance is unlikely to be successful, since different approaches
show promise in different pathways.