Much has happened in the last two years across the globe, from worldwide pandemic to political and economic changes to wars and rumors of wars. But, for many in the country of Honduras, life has almost stood still since November 2020.
Honduras is a relatively small country, with a landmass and population similar to that of the state of Pennsylvania. But, being situated in a topical zone between the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, the country is particularly susceptible to natural disasters such as tropical storms and hurricanes. With much of the country being an agricultural producer, these storms can have a devastating impact, destroying entire harvests as well as the infrastructure needed for harvesting crops and transporting them to factories for processing or shipping ports to be exported to other countries. These storms not only claim lives but can wipe out entire communities and livelihoods, making rebuilding a long and arduous task.
A Month of Terror and Destruction
At the beginning of November 2020, Hurricane Eta, a Category 4 hurricane, bore down on Honduras, causing massive amounts of flooding, triggering mud slides, wiping out farms and communities and infrastructure across the country. Because it was the rainy season, many Hondurans received the warning too late and were entirely unprepared for the storm. As the country was still reeling with from the devastation of the first storm, two weeks later Hurricane Iota, a second Category 4 hurricane, slammed into the country, multiplying the tragic suffering of the people.
A Category 4 storm like Eta and Iota is the equivalent of a tornado ripping through your neighborhood, with sustained winds up to 156 miles per hour. What compounds them is the torrential rain they bring and dump over land. Because of the topography of Honduras, the bulk of this rain rushed down the mountainsides and flooded the main rivers leading into cities, submerging entire villages. Roads, bridges, farms, homes – entire hopes and dreams – gone in the blink of an eye.
“The image that I saw was people living under bridges with tarps and tents,” recalls Melton Trading Co. founder Daniel Melton who was in Honduras in the immediate aftermath of the storms. “Many of them [were] so discouraged not knowing if they wanted to go back into their homes to even try to rebuild again.”
Millions of Honduran were impacted by these back-to-back storms, with an estimated 3 million suffering from food insecurity and 2.8 million in need of humanitarian relief. In Honduras alone, nearly 1 million people were displaced from their homes in a matter of a couple weeks. And all of this on top of a population already hurting from COVID-19.
Agricultural Devastation
When these types of storms hit a country like Honduras, they can destroy everything: coffee farms included. Coffee plants are vulnerable to high winds, as they have thin leaves that can be easily blown off or torn off by strong winds. Because entire trees were destroyed by Eta and Iota, many farmers lost their livelihoods due to the loss of their crops—and therefore had no income coming in during the rebuilding process
Coffee is a major economic driver for Honduras since Honduras is the third-largest exporter of coffee in the world. The crop has been integral to the country’s economy for over 150 years and accounts for a significant amount of its export earnings: In 2017 alone, it brought home $2 billion dollars. However, these two storms had a severe impact on coffee farms across the country with some farmers (and their families) losing their sole or primary source of income. For other farmers who may not have lost their coffee trees, the storms wiped out their entire crop for the season, meaning no harvest and no income for farmers or coffee harvesters.
Much of Honduras’ coffee is grown in mountainous regions, which poses a problem because many of the farmers who lost their crops are located in mountainous areas. The country’s topography makes it difficult for farmers to replant and rebuild their farms. Some have been able to do so using community-led initiatives, but others were unable or unwilling to take part in those efforts or didn’t have access to them at all.
A Country Still Rebuilding
The efforts of coffee farmers and rural communities to rebuild are still ongoing. While much of the world may have seemed to pass them by and long forgotten the tremendous heartache they experienced, many Hondurans are still working to piece their lives back together. Broken infrastructure and limited access to materials (or lack of affordability) have only lengthened this process.
That is why we at Melton Trading Co. continue to remain dedicated to our mission of helping build self-sufficient, sustainable communities in rural Honduras by providing a channel through which these farmers are able to bring their crops to market and receive a fair price for their hard-earned harvests. This is not an easy task for those living in these remote areas, many of which are only accessible by muddy, rutted roads. And some may likely spend years working to rebuild what they have lost. But, with your help, we can be partners for change in Honduras and provide a light of hope to these mountain farming communities.
