FARM MECHANIZATIGN OF HONDURAS " a 'a “.9323 ‘32" i t 0 :29 fiagrea. or: hi. 5. £’~M=$"5“'“ ‘4 9" W5 {3223* "321‘ WW 3 .i'afiil't U‘ ‘5 . 1". 3:1.‘6‘- i u 3'- ‘n F {éaaufij '- 32.23;» .g. are; mas-*- FARM MECHANIZATION OF HONDURAS By Luis E. horcillo AN ABSTRACT Submitted to the Michigan State University of Agriculture and Applied Science in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Department of Agricultural Engineering Year 1956 Approved by fi7xé 227%.— 'T-IO- $6 2 Luis s. Morcillo Abstract 1 The topography of Honduras is exceptionally rugged and it is estimated that about 80 percent of the total area is mountainous or hilly. This situation has greatly hampered the development of an efficient road system, and has cut up the country of Honduras into various small units which con- stitutes a formidable barrier to the establishment of econom— ically strong agricultural population centers. About 1,500,000 ha of good agricultural land is avail- able in Honduras, and of this only a little more than 7 percent is under crop, three percent of which is laid idle each year as fallow land. Development of irrigation water in some areas of the available flat land, plus modernization and mechanization of agriculture constitute the first steps toward economic improvement in Honduras. Some of the problems of agricultural mechanization in Honduras are as follows: (1) land-ownership and land-tenure, (2) absentee farming, (3) low income of farmers and high cost of imported machinery, (h) lack of education and transporta- tion facilities, and (S) shortage of trained personnel. The limited number of tractors and farm machinery in Honduras can be used most efficiently through specialized custom organizations which are supplied with work shops, mechanics, agronomists, skilled operators, in addition to a complete line of machinery. Luis E. Morcillo 2 To illustrate how the modern agricultural machinery fits into the production of crops under the Honduran condi- tions, four farming situations were considered. ’The analysis of each farming situation was made taking into consideration all the factors that affect the operations performed, the time available and the time required. From.this analysis, the proper machinery was selected. FARM MECHANIZATION 0F HONDURAS By Luis E. Morcillo A THESIS Submitted to the Michigan State University of Agriculture and Applied Science in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Department of Agricultural Engineering 1956 Jfihgls ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author wishes to express his sincere thanks and appreciation to Professor H. F. McColly under whose guidance and assistance this study was undertaken. He is also deeply indebted to Dr. Walter M. Carleton for his kind guidance and valuable help in the elaboration of his graduate program. The writer greatly appreciates the fellowship provided by The Rockefeller Foundation for the past two years which made it possible for him to complete his studies. He also owes much to the never-failing cooperation of Dr. Hilson Popenoe, Director of the Pan-American Agricul- tural School who was at every moment ready to give the help asked for. The author extends his sincere thanks to his colleagues Armando Jose Valle and Julio Cesar Zepeda, and also to Licenciado Carlos H. Reyes for their assistance in securing information either direct from the farmers or from the govern- ment sources. Last but not least, he wishes to acknowledge the con- siderable importance of the cooperation and sympathy received every moment from his wife. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION 1 I. NATURAL, ECONOMIC, AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS IN HONDURAS 3 “Geography and Topographical Features 3 Climate and Rainfall 10 Soil and Soil Erosion 19 «Resources of Agricultural Land 28 Water Resources 30 Forestry and Fishing 31 Grassland and Forage Production 35 Mining 37 Industry 39 VTransportation hl The People A? Education 51 Foreign Trade 52 II. AGRICULTURE IN HONDURAS 57 Agriculture Production as Part of the General Economy of Honduras 57 ‘/Crop Production 59 Export Crops ' 61 Domestic CrOps - 65 Animal Production 69 iii TABLE or CONTENTS (Cont.) Page “Hindrances to Development 72 “Government Policy 73 Technical Assistance 7h «Methods of Farming 77 “Agricultural Machinery in Honduras 78 Agricultural Regions 87 III. PROBLEMS OF AGRICULTURAL MECHANIZATION OF HONDURAS AND THE PROPOSED SOLUTION 93 /Land Use and Landownership 93 “Land Use V 93 ’Size of Farms 101 Absentee Farming 103 Landownership and Land-tenure 10h Costs of Mechanization 112 Ownership and Use of Mechanized Equipment 116 «Shortage of Trained Personnel 119 _ Kinds of Training Needed 120 Training of Administrative and Supervisory Staff 121 ¢Training Farm Machinery and Tractor Operators 122 Suggested Syllabus of Farm Machinery Course 128 IV. REASONS FOR FARM MECHANIZATION 132 Types of Machinery and Equipment 13h Classifying Farm.Machinery 136 Hand and Animal—drawn Implements 138 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont.) Garden Tractors and Implements Farm Tractors and Implements Maintenance and Servicing of Machinery V. SELECTION OF MODERN FARM MACHINERY FOR VARIOUS FARMING SITUATIONS Procedure for Selection of Farm Machinery ./An analysis of the Farm Enterprise “Selection of Tractor and Necessary Equipment BI BLI OGRAP HY Page 13 9 141 me me 1147 1h? 162 LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE 1. Estimated areas of the coastal plains and their inland extensions below 1000 ft. 5 2. Estimated percentages of the areas with elevation of more than 1000 ft. 6 3. Percentages of land elevation 7 . Estimated areas of valleys and plains with elevation higher than 1000 ft. 8 5. Mean temperatures in degrees Fahrenheit ll . Averages in mm. of the mean monthly and annual rainfall in the rainfall zones of Fig. 1 1h 7. Tentative estimates of agricultural land in Honduras 29 8. Lumber exports from Honduras 3h 9. Size of pastures in hectares 36 10. Quantity and value of minerals produced in Honduras in 1952 39 11. The population of Honduras by departments N7 12. Population economically active 51 13. Value of total Honduras trade 52 In. Value of Honduran Foreign trade, by principal commodities 55 15. Value of Honduran foreign trade, by principal countries 56 16. Value of Honduras' production in million of lempiras 57 17. Agricultural production 58 18. Acreage and production of crops in Honduras 59 19. Banana exports 61 20. Average acreage and yields of corn 67 vi 21. 22. 23. 2h. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 3’40 35. LIST OF TABLES (Cont.) Tractors and plows in Honduras Farm machinery imports Distribution of Honduras' territory Land utilization in Honduras, 1950-51 Estimated areas of mountainland and flat land in use for crOp-production Land tenant in Honduras‘ Analysis of four farming situations for the selection of farm machinery Assumed percent time less for various farming operations Annual hours of use of tractor and equipment in situation I Annual hours of use of tractor and equipment in situation II Annual hours of use of tractors and equipment under various farming situations Page 81 82 93 9h 95 106 1&8 1&8 151 152 153 Man-hours required each month for various production operations in situation I 15h Man-hours required each month for various production Operations in situation II 155 Man-hours required each month for various production Operations in situation III 156 Man-hours required each month for various production operations in situation IV vii 157 LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 1. Mean annual rainfall 2. Roads and railroads, 1953 3. Density of population, 1950 h. The Honduran plow 5. The use of steel plows 6. Planting of the field 7. Land clearing 8. Type of equipment used by the Ministry of Agriculture 9. Contour planting 10. Animal drawn disk harrow 11. Stationary threshing machine 12. Cleaning operation 13. Planted areas in percent of total area 1h. Land in use for agriculture 15. Number of ha/capita. Rural population on total area 16. Land in farms by Departments as a percentage of the area, 1952 viii PAGE 13 he #9 79 79 80 8A 8t 85 85 as as 97 98 ‘99 102 INTRODUCTION The success of mechanization in highly developed farming countries has led a number of governments to conclude that they could solve their food production problems by following similar lines. But, almost without exception, the rapid intro- duction of tractors and the equipment that goes with them into countries long dependent on animal power has been very expensive and anything but successful. Some governments, becmuse of the poor results achieved, are reviewing the whole matter of mechanization, and a few are even advocating a return to, or continuation of, the traditional primitive tillage methods. The pendulum.swung too far in one direction and it is now being pushed back. But, in the main, the desire is to profit by past mistakes and to put mechanization on sounder foundations. Considering the fact that over 85 percent of the Honduran pepulation depends on agricultural production, and that the area under crap represents only about 11 percent of the avail- able flat land, and that the exploitation of this land is conducted with tools and methods of farming very primitive in character, it is easy to see that modernization and mechani- zation of agriculture should be one of the first steps toward the economic improvement of Honduras. The mechanization of Honduran agriculture is not an easy-to-solve problem. There are many other social and economic problems which are closely associated with the technical problems of agricultural mechanization. For a practical approach to these problems, a thorough understand- ing of the natural, social, and economic conditions of the country seemed essential. For this reason, the first two sections of this study were devoted to a brief discussion of the land, climate, soil, water, and other resources, as well as the agricultural practices, regions, and opportun- ities existing in Honduras at the present time. The space devoted to these first two sections may appear to be more than is necessary. This was Justified because of the belief that technological changes must always be fitted into the social and economic pattern of the country. It is very easy to learn to drive a tractor, but no machine will run economically for long unless it receives constant skilled attention. This fact has not been borne in mind in many parts of the world where tractors were brought in to take the place of muscular energy; nor has it been recognized that responsible planners must also have a good knowledge of machinery and its capabilities and limitations. This knowledge is available, but it has not been crystal- lized and made readily accessible. It is the purpose of this study to outline and emphasize what must be considered and provided for to be reasonably sure that farm mechanization will lead to an improvement of agriculture in Honduras. I. NATURAL, ECONOMIC, AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS IN HONDURAS Geography and Topographical Features The Republic of Honduras is located in the middle of Central America, between latitudes 12° 58' and 16° 2' N. and longitudes 83° 10' and 89° 17' U. The country is roughly triangular in shape, with a coastline of h59 miles on the north, narrowing almost to a point on the Pacific Ocean (Gulf of Fonseca) in the south. It is bounded on the west and south- west by Guatemala and El Salvador, respectively, and on the east by Nicaragua. According to the official map of Prof. F. Aguilar Paz (1933), Informes de Fomento and Final (19h9) the area of the Republic of Honduras is 115,205 sq. km. (approximately 59,000 square miles), or about the size of the state of Georgia. The effective national territory is considerably smaller, however, as the entire northeastern part of the country, Mos- quitia, consisting of the Department of Colon (17,000 square miles) and most of the Department of Olancho (13,000 square miles), is thinly inhabited. The topography is exceptionally rugged, creased from east to west by the Central American Cordillera. Apart from the relatively small coastal plains along the Caribbean sea in the north, along the Gulf of Fonseca in the south, and the broad plain of Mosquitia in the northeast, Honduras is moun- tainous with numerous small valleys and some more extensive valleys as extensions of the coastal plains in the north and northeast. The highest peaks, some more than 10,000 feet in altitude, are in the southwest. The principal rivers are in the north and flow into the Caribbean. The watersheds between the Caribbean area and the Pacific coast run through the southern part of Honduras, approximately over 0cotepeque-Gracias-La Esperanza-La Paz-Talanga-Danli and El Paraiso. The catchment area of the rivers in the northern part is much more extensive than that of the rivers in the south. They have therefore built up much broader plains and out much deeper inland than the rivers in the south. Exten- sive marshes along the Gulf of Fonseca further reduce the area of the southern plain. Joosten (1952) gives figures of estimated areas of the coastal plains and their inland extensions along the rivers (Table 1). It would not be correct to assume that this whole area is usable or adequate for agriculture on account of the elevation, for many parts are hilly. About 80 percent of Honduras is mmuntainous or hilly, mostly with a broken down, dissected and degraded feature. In the northern part the mountains extend to the northeast, enclosing the extensive valleys of Chamelecon, Ulua, Aguan, Sico, and Paulaya. In the southern region the mountains range north to northwest, while the central part is more or TABLE 1 ESTIMATED AREAS OF THE COASTAL PLAINS AND THEIR INLAND EXTENSIONS BELOW 1000 FT. __-.-—-— T Plain or Valley Width Length Area km. km. Sq. km. I, North-east and east (unexplored) Mos uitia-coastal plain east of 8 ° w.L. (west Latitude) 75-190 1h5 15200 Rio Coco valley-west of 85° W.L. 3-6 120 580 Rio Patuca valley-west of 85° W.L. 5-20 1&0 1500 Rio Cuampu valley 3-20 65 670 Iriona coastal plain 20-30 20 550 Rio Platano valley 5 NO 210 Rio Paulaya valley h-20 70 510 Rio 8100 valley 5 80 60 Rio Guayape valley (Olancho valley) 5-12 70 60 Rio Guayape valley (Catacamas " ) 8 55 NSC II. North ‘ Trujillo coastal plain 3-50 70 1570 Rio Aguan valley 10-30 110 1730 Armenia coastal plain 1-25 35 5%0 La Ceiba-Tela coastal plain 5-30 60. 11 0 Mangrove marshes Ulua river 10-35 20 390 Cuyamel coastal plain 3-10 50 2h0 Rio-Ulua-Chamelecon plain - ~ (Sula plain) 15-h5 80 2h00 Rio Ulua valley 3-12 50 N30 Rio Comayagua valley 2-5 70 210 Rio Chamelecon valley 6-16 70 780 III. South Choluteca-coastal plain-dry 10-h5 60 1300 marshes 370 Rio Choluteca valley 3-10 60 500 Nacaome-coastal plain-dry 15-30 H5 930 marshes 120 Rio Nacaome valley '2-20 30 360 Total Area 3h0h0 Area I minus Catacamas valley 20540 Area II plus III plus Catacamas valley 13500 Estimated'area marshes in II plus III 1300 Area dry land below 1000 feet in areas II and 111 12200 less a plateau with scattered mountain peaks. (The most ele- vated region with very steep slopes to the numerous small valleys, many of them.horseshoe-shaped, is found in the west- ern part. More than 50 percent of the country has an elevation higher than 3000 feet. In Central Honduras the area of these altitudes covers nearly the whole region which in many places takes the shape of disintegrated plains. East of Juticalpa- Danli the mountain ranges flatten and submerge in the Mosquitia plain near 85° N. L. Here the prevailing altitudes are between 1000 and 2000 feet, the plains less disintegrated and the val- leys much broader (Table 2). TABLE 2 ESTIMATED PERCENTAGES OF THE AREAS WITH ELEVATION OF MORE THAN 1000 FEET r J— ‘ I 1000 2000 3000 more Total Area 5000 as Nettie“ Sq, Km. 1. Western Honduras 20 27 N6 7 20,000 II. Central Plateau 19 28 RS 5 h3,900 111. Eastern Honduras 56 33 11 0 13 700_ west of 85° W.L. A 77,600 I. Between west frontier and Rio Ulua-North road from Potrerillos to Siguatepeque-Cordilleras de Montecillo. II. Between I and Cordilleras de Agalta-Campamento-Yuscaran ‘ Nicaragua frontier. 2111. Between II and 85° U.L. TABLE 3 PERCENTAGES OF LAND ELEVATION W Altitude in Feet Percentage 0-1000 30 1000-2000 19 2000-3000 19 3000-5000 28 5000 and higher h In the Mosquitia plain east of 85° W.L. 88 percent is less than 1000 feet in altitude. The mountain tops of the Cordillera del Merendon running along the western frontier have altitudes of 9200 feet near Ocotepeque, 7000 feet near Cepan and 7300 feet near San Pedro Sula. Near la Ceiba only 15 km. south of the coast the Sierra de Monte de Dios reaches 8050 feet. North of Catacamas runs the Cordillera de Agalta with its highest peak at 8500 feet. The Sierra de Celaque rises to 9u00 feet west of Gracias, while the Sierra de Montecillos reaches 9300 feet west of Lake Yojea and 8000 feet north of Siguatepeque. The Sierra de Comayagua reaches 8000 feet east of Comayagua and 7600 feet near Tegucigalpa. Peaks in the central plateau reach 7700 feet near Sulaco, 7h00 feet nearchrito, 7800 feet south of IYoro and 7&00 feet near Teupasenti. East and south of the Cordillera de Agalta no altitude Inigher than Just over 3000 feet is reported. Due to erosion these mountain peaks and the ridges of the Sierras are in many places very steep, bare and rocky. As already mentioned, the mountainous parts of Honduras contain numerous and more or less extensive valleys and plains, but because of the lack of suitable maps only a very rough estimate of their areas could be made; it is set out in Table H. (Joosten, 1952). TABLE H ESTIMATED AREAS OF VALLEYS AND PLAINS WITH ELEVATION HIGHER THAN 1000 FEET 1 _— Valley or Plain width . Length Area (Final-1955) km. -km. sq. km. Talanga-Cedros plain 25 20 500 Siria valley 10 30 300 Los Angeles valleys -- ' --' 60 Jamastran-Danli plain and valleys 20 75‘ 1500 Comayagua valley 15 70 .1000 Espino valley 13 30 1,00 ‘ Quimistan valley 15 H0 600 St. Barbara valley 10 NS H50 Yoro plain 35 NO 1&00 Sulaco valley 6 15 90 Olanchito valley 8 12 100 Scattered valleys mainly in West Honduras -- -- 700 Total 7100 Adding the total of dry land (Table l) to this area the figure for more or less flat land of 19300 sq. km. or 1,930,000 hectares (one hectare 8 2.u7 acres) is found for the whole of Honduras excluding the Mosquitia plain. In evaluating the topographical features of Honduras it has to be emphasized that they present many difficulties for a rapid agricultural development. The topography makes the survey and the evaluation of the available agricultural land very cumbersome, adds many difficulties to the development of small farming, to erosion safe land use, leaves only very restricted areas with good possibilities for mechanized agriculture, handicaps the ef- ficient operation of the extension service and the develop- ment of the rural community and farmer unions, and greatly hampers the development of an efficient road system. More- over, it has cut up the economy of Honduras into various small units, and this constitutes a formidable barrier to the establishment of economically strong agricultural popu- lation centers. Geographically and commercially, the country may be considered as consisting of two general regions - the high- lands of interior and southern Honduras and the tropical, baunaproducing North Coast. The southern coastal lowland is grouped with the highland region because of its economic dependence on Tegucigalpa, the capital, located in the south- west central part of the country. Generally, the rugged 10 topography and lack of surface transportation facilities divide Honduras into numerous small, disconnected localities. Climate and Rainfall In Honduras a weather bureau has been established only recently. The information about temperature, winds, humidity and rainfall used is collected from various sources. Also some data was provided by the meteorological service. The climate of Honduras is varied. In the highlands the tropical latitude is tempered by the altitude to produce an agreeable moderate climate. In Tegucigalpa the daytime temperature averages about 75° F., and the nights are cooler. Excessive high temperatures are very rare, because of the rainfall in the summer months and the influence of the "norte" in the winter months. On the North Coast and the southern 9 coastal plain the climate is hot and humid throughout the year. The rainy and dry seasons in these areas correspond roughly with those for the highlands. The entire Central American zone is under the influence of the trade winds, namely the northeast trade and the de- flected southeast trade wind which blows on the Pacific side £18 a south-westerly. In the summer half-year, this trade wind is intensified by a monsoonal impetus and is. then the rain Inaker on the Pacific slopes. In the winter half-year the Ilortheast trade penetrates as far as the Pacific, where it 11 is very dry, as it loses its humidity over land from east to west. Another important climatological factor during the winter half-year consists in the outbreak of cold air masses from the north ("e1 norte"). This factor is responsible for lowering of the temperature and heavy rainfall along the north coast of Honduras in December and January. In some places, local air movements such as land and sea breezes and mountain and valley breezes also assume some significance. Happily the West Indian hurricanes do not disturb the Honduras coast and gales and tempests are rare. The wind velocities are mainly low. TABLE 5 MEAN TEMPERATURES IN DEGREES FAHRENHEIT La Lima Toncontin Coyoles Zamorano Month 26 m.a.s. 900 m.a.s. 130 m.a.s. 530 m.a.s. 19h0-l950 (1950) (1950) (1950) max - min. max - min. max - min. max - min. January 88 63 78 no 8h 63 81 56 February 91 63 81 1,1 82 61 91 5 3 March 95 6S . 82 in 90 63 92 50 April 97 67 88 50 96 66 90 52 May 96 69 91 5h 96 69 93 57 June 95 71 85 58 93 70 91 68 July 93 7o 82 58 92 ‘ 70 88 58 August 9h 70 86 S9 92 70 86 68 September 9H 70 86 59 92 7O 89 61 October 911 69 82 61 8h 68 86 59 November 89 66 78 67 80 67 82 NB December 88 65 83 NJ 81 60 82 58 12 Atmospheric Humidity Sapper (1932) mentioned for the north coast 70-90 per- cent as the day average of atmospheric humidity for Trujillo, and as year average 81 percent. At Toncontin aerodrome the averages for 1950 are given as December to February 66% .March to May 60% June to August 73% September to November 75% Bearing in mind the complicated topography of Honduras only scanty figures for mean monthly and mean annual rainfall could be collected. Several data are taken from.Sapper (1932) others were received from United Fruit Company, Aguan Valley ' Company and the Direccion General de Aeronautica. In many cases the figures represent only the average precipitation over a small number of years and may not be truly represen- tative. By comparing the characteristics of the distribution of rain over the year and using Mohr's (1937) classification for the tropics (dry if the mean monthly precipitation is less than 60 mm. and wet when above 100 mm.), 5 main types of rainfall could be marked out. (See Figure l and Table 6) The traced boundaries in Figure l are, of course, to be studied with due reserve. They coincide more or less with Sapper's figures and correspond with the rainfall zones of the FAO report on Nicaragua (1950). The characteristics 13 fl .0: fir .\\.w\..£ quwuL REL \0 d .n .o Comm 1/ .E V. SS 93 Less has Q9 \5. . SHEEN: , . co... co 0% 5&3}va 5E3 Qw 53$. .w ._ .0 I own. .QN N § oovn .U 09* VX?‘ ndRoE \e Lawns»: .w ._ .m. g 000. .h .0 .N m 02: \ 1‘ 6x Lv\va skewness {not er a a \ 0 9. 35.2.5. 4<3z2< 2..v 5. . assets”... :3. n . v: N 8.54:! e“ we... .r '3» ‘ \\~ $1.?va o. EeuefieU‘ \ I .\ Q1215. .w\. ,c 535.43 e3. .\.\ um”. .f. \I .n’.\ J. 4 #117 _.\ 08> .. no tuft .\ .... a... ‘ _ . it. x r... I. l.J. . _l. \ . I .I.’ .\.\ .I .\ Q k .u x a E Q s h? entering and clearing Honduran ports in that year totalled l,h93. The two most active ports in volume of trade were Puerto Cortes and Tela followed by La Ceiba and Amapala. The ocean transport facilities of the various shipping lines serving Honduran ports appear adequate to handle the country's present volume of exports and imports. The most pressing need, particularly at Amapala, is for the expansion and repair of existing port facilities, 1. e., docks, har- bors, and cargo-handling equipment. With the eventual ex- pansion and development of Amapala's facilities, the volume of shipping should increase substantially there. The People According to the 1950 census there were 1,h28,089 in- habitants in Honduras, distributed among the 17 departments as shown in Table 11 and Figure 3. TABLE 11 THE POPULATION OF HONDURAS BY DEPARTMENTS 1950 Area in Population Department sq. km. -_Total Per sq. km. 1. Atlantida h,290 66,556 15.5 2. Colon 26,630 37,250 l.u 3. Comayagua 5,216 71.1h5 13.6 h8 TABLE 11 (Cont.) Warmer“ $3.1? mai°Pul§$°§q. km. 1. Copan 3,150 100,0uu 31.8 5. Cortes 4,056 131,082 '32.2 6. Choluteca h,30h 112,030 26.0 7. El Paraiso 7,h03 86,1h1 11.6 8. Francisco Morazan 8,110 198,687 2h.5 9. Intibuca ' 3,130 61,7u1 19.7 10. Bay Islands 275 8,653 31.5 11. La Paz 2,286 53.599 23-h 12. Dempira 1,375 91,177 . 21.6 13. Ocotepeque 1,7h5 ‘ h7,u57 27.2 1h. Olancho 25,222 87,h79 3.5 15. Santa Barbara 5,220 100,561 19.3 16. Valle 1,670 68,323 h0.9 l7. Yoro 8,13h 102,86h 12.6 115,205 1,h28,089 12.h The estimated population in 1952 was 1,513,000. Approximately three-fourths of the people are classed as rural, although many of the others also live in small rural villages, as there are few cities of importance. The largest cities, according to the 1950 census, are Tegucigalpa (99,9h8), San Pedro Sula (5h,268), La Ceiba (20,9h9), Tela (12,61h, and Puerto Cortes (12,228). .119 m. .2...— anx wk 23. .2 953.0% extom. .mx 2x0 ~33 .3 Memeoxexoub .3 “.0 n 6 ts Nbxot .euux .Q m.‘ n N 8.522 h N 3.. - a buQQoQ/U .b nmwxob ..m. I I \\\\\\\ 2..-... E b.2695 .V .3 teoxob .V (22.33.. steam. Lot Nenx UV .§ cowexofieb .m. ease ox e. 3.x .9 53 .m . e w .. ”OUbflxka u. b.3333. ( u _ ".... ”bx EMSCQRQMQ 4 a 2.. 3 e .H 1 n r 222.... . . . 3..”................H$.....H ”firm...” . .. ... . «oovoo+vo+ . . . . . . . . Jr”....n ........H........H.H.H...o...\ \\ . .f_./ . . . o . . s./.o.c............ . . ...... \\ ”w ../ 2 / K../.. ........\.\ ~.\\\.(. \\ I: \.. x . 0 . . . N. . . . . ./... ...\.\. . (A) \l.l\l\\I/«\i\ .l\.. f.“\- . . . . . . . .!. . . . \ .\. . \1.\.\\\\\\ \\\\ ..— QME , ... >\B\k¢.V\wn\QQKOXK\W\st of the rice is of the upland type. 65 In Honduras the climatic conditions and the soils in the pOpulated regions are mainly unfavorable for rice. Fur- thermore rice growing as a permanent proposition in a rotation system would demand too much labor for tilling, cultivation and harvesting. Rice is therefore mainly grown on fresh clearings of forest or shrub-lands all over the country, mostly in small patches. The largest acreages are found in Olancho (2,h00 ha), Atlantida (2,h00 ha) and Comayagua (2,100 ha). The varieties are of a thin long grain type of good quality. Domestic Crops <3<>rn Nearly 6h percent Of the areas planted to annual crops alga for corn, about 90 percent of which is planted by the <3aunpesino on."eJida1" land, in tenancy or on land without title. Three quarters of the acreage is planted in the be- ginning of the rainy season (May-June) and the other part 111 :September-October. In September, October and December- JElnuary, the crop is harvested. The second crop however is r1Sky. With favorable weather the corn may ripen; if not the crop must be cut for feed. On good land beans are planted as catchcrop (about 10 percent). Mixed cultivation of sorghum and corn is often see11., The growing methods are quite simple. After clearing 66 by cutting and burning, the land is either ploughed with a wooden plough or not ploughed at all (70 percent). Hardly any weeding or other soil care is practiced and at the most only once. A very small area is ploughed by tractor. No other mechanization is practiced. Neither fertilizing with manure or chemicals nor green manuring with legumes is prac- ticed. As the corn is mainly used for "tortillas" (type of bread), the white kernel varieties are preferred. The growing period is rather long and for many parts of the country too long for a suitable rotation within the wet season or for more than one crop. Furthermore in most places people do not plant more than twice in successiveyears on the same land. They then leave the land idle for a long time. Apart from some development in the planting of catchcrop beans, the methods of cultivation have not changed for hundreds of years. Effective crop rotation as part of a well-balanced farming program is practically unknown. The average acreages and yields of corn in the various departments of Honduras in the period 19Hh/h5 - l9h9/50 are given in Table 20. The variation in the yields is wide, due to conditions of soils and rainfall. In many districts the land is badly eroded and barren yielding very meager crops, in particular in La Paz, Intibuca, and Francisco Morazan. It appears that the pressure of the population on the land is already too 67 heavy in many parts of these departments. PSOple there are faced by an eXpanding population and a contracting area of land. The campesino is consequently forced to extend his plantation and the land is being increasingly damaged in the process. TABLE 20 AVERAGE ACREAGE AND YIELDS OF CORN IN l9Au/u5 - 1929/50 Acreage Yields Percentage Department 100 ha 100 kg/ha acreage of - total area Atlantida 22 8.7 0.5 Colon 12 11.7 0.05 Comayagua 179 8.3 3.h Copan 161 15.3 5.1 Cortes 79 12.h 1.7 Choluteca 132 8.9 3.1 El Paraiso 160 6.1 2.2 Francisco Morazan 305 6.2 3.7 Intibuca 135 5.1 u.3 La Paz 91 5.u h.0 Lempira 162 8.3 3.7 Ocotepeque 98 8.8 5.6 Olancho 98 13.5 O.h Santa Barbara 159 9.7 301 Valle 82 18.1 8.9 Yoro 69 13.8 008 Honduras l9hu 9.1 1.7 68 Sorghum Sorghum (maicillo) accounts for 18 percent of the annual crops planted. It is the most suitatde grain-crop in dry season. It can also stand excessive rainfall. Because of the long growing period of the strains used, sorghum is only planted once a year in May and June. It is very often mixed with corn. In many places, it is sown late between corn and remains on the field after the corn is harvested. Generally sorghum is planted by the campesino only. Beans ‘ Small grained red beans are planted in many parts of the country. Beans are important in the diet of Hondurans; a meal without beans is unthinkable. Beans are commonly cul- tivated as catchcrop between corn. Wheat The average acreage sown to wheat in the period l9hh-l950 was 5,600 ha per year with a range in yields from.220 to 960 kg/ha. Except for some small parts at high altitudes, the climatic and soil conditions are unsuited to wheat. It is grown on a small scale in the westernmost part of the coun- try, but owing to the lack of internal transportation is exported virtually in its entirety to El Salvador, while local flour mdlls import their supplies. 69 Sugar-cane This crop is kept perennial in Honduras. 0n the average it is replanted only once in 10 - 12 years. The regrowth is out every year. There are only two enterprises making white _sugar; all the other cane is used for the production of panels (cakes of brown sugar). The acreage since l9hh/h5 has been an annual average of 17,000 ha, with a production of 23,000 tone, the yield being 1,3h0 kg/ha. With the exception of the two large-scale enterprises (San Jose near San Pedro Sula and Chumbagua in the Chamelecon valley) sugar-cane is planted in numerous small spots scattered over the country. Plantations exceeding 20 ha are rare. Generally little care is given to the crop. For the milling of the cane in l9u9-50 there were 3.970 wooden and 2,158 iron mills, mainly in poor condition. The mills extract at most 6 percent Of the sugar from.cane, and this 6 percent is low in sugar content. Animal‘Production According to highly tentative estimates based on 19h9-50 figures published by Informe de Fomento, the annual value of animal production in million of Lempiras is: Cattle (consumption and export) 7.2 HOgs (id) 3.0 Dairy products 16.9 Fowl and eggs 1.2 Total 2900 70 This total accounts for nearly 10 percent of the national income and 19 percent of the total agricultural production, not including the value of the services of cattle, horses and mules as draft animals. The livestock population in l9521n numbers of head was: Cattle 1,157,000 Horses 192,000 Mules and asses 110,600 Hogs 521,200 Goats and sheep 60,300 Fowl h,212,000 Cattle The annual value of the production from dairies and beef cattle ranches of 2A million lempiras is derived from an area of at least h75,000 ha, giving only U. 3. $25 as an average per ha per annum. The estimates for beef production are as low as $5 - $10. These figures show the low intensity of the cattle industry in Honduras. Large beef-cattle herds are managed by a few persons only and in the dairies one man alone normally handles 30 - 50 cows and the additional calves, steers, and bulls. The dairy farmers and the cattlemen seem.nevertheless to make good profits, as they hold large areas of land and reduce labor costs and investments as much as possible. There is consequently no economic pressure for improvement. 71 Absentee farming is widespread even in the dairy industry. Furthermore, poor transportation facilities, particularly serious for dairy products, the price policies, and other economic factors and difficulties hamper further improvements. It is evident that in this situation natural factors of soil and clhmate and economic factors of nearby markets have directed the development of the cattle industry to dairy farmp ming, dairy and cattle ranching or beef ranching in the dif- ferent parts of Honduras. Dairy farmdng is prominent in San Pedro Sula (mdlk, butter and cheese), La Ceiba (mdlk), Tela (milk), Tegucigalpa and environments of Danli (milk, butter and cheese), and Choluteca (milk and cheese). Although grazing has been a relatively undeveloped ac- tivity, the importance of cattle raising in Honduras has in- creased steadily in recent years. In the fiscal year 1952-53, 35,785 head were exported, chiefly to El Salvador and Guate- mala. Pigs In every part of rural Honduras, on roads, in farm yards, houses, pigs are running about. The total number in 1952 was given as 521,200. COntrolled and well managed pig-raising is.not practiced, although this animal is very adaptable to the natural and economic conditions, in particular in the dry central and western parts of Honduras. The poor campesino can afford to raise pigs, while it is impossible for him.to have cattle. 72 During the fiscal year 1952-53, 51,29h pigs were ex- ported. The development of pig production is evident and every suitable measure to speed up this develOpment should be applied.' Nearly every thing produced on a farm.can be fed to pigs, as e.g. bananas (Chatos), plantains, mangoes, sweet potatoes, corn, soighum, skimmed.milk, waste of vege- tables, grass and also rice bran, copra-meal and cotton-seed meal. Mixed farming with pigs, therefore, would give a better basis for agriculture in the remote inland regions, where lack of roads and drought are major factors checking develop- ment. In fairly well managed mixed farms based on pig-raising, the annual gross output can be estimated at $100 - $150/ha, while corn would give 350 and beef-cattle only Slo/ha. Hindrances to Development A lack of modern technology, failure to make full use of available arable lands, need for extensive irrigation, and inadequacy of transportation facilities are some of the major Obstacles of the development of nearly all branches of the country's agriculture, with the exception of bananas and other crops, such as abaca, grown by the American fruit comp panies. More specific problems demanding attention are the need for foods grown for domestic consumption to provide sufficient nutrition and variety; the fact that imports of food require the expenditure of a large volume of foreign exchange which might otherwise be allocated to other activities devoted to the development of the country; and the need for the develop- ment of a wider variety of exports, whereby the earnings of foreign exchange would not be so dependent on the vicissitudes of nature and on foreign demand for one or two crops. Government Policy The agricultural policy of the Honduran Government is designed to increase domestic production of food crops and develOp livestock breeding in order to reduce food-stuffs imports. The program involves a thorough study of actual and potential agricultural resources, education in improved agricultural methods, and financial assistance in the form of agricultural loans. Any material increase in the standard of living of the people depends upon the successful achieve- ment of these objectives. . The program is being carried out on a number of fronts, by various instrumentalities. The Ministry of Agriculture re- cently was reorganized to include four principal bureaus, or ”directiones" - agriculture, livestock, and veterinary; agri- cultural education; forestry and mining; and land and reset- tlement. Both the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Develop- ment Bank are striving to increase and diversify production 71L and to raise the standard of living of the agricultural population. The Ministry of Agriculture, largely with the assistance of the Inter-American Technical Service for Agri- cultural COOperation (STICA), a Joint United States-Honduran Operation under Point IV, aims at increasing overall culti- vation, raising yields, modernizing cultivation techniques, and encouraging greater crop diversification through research and practical education. The National Development Bank grants financial assistance to farmers in connection with these broad sums. Complementing these activities are the activities of the Pan-American Agricultural School (Escuela Agricola Panamericana), financed by the United Fruit Company, and the Government's rural schools, which are endeavoring to improve cultivation practices by teaching the advantages of modern methods. Another complementary feature is the Government's road building pro- gram, which will open up new producing areas and permit better distribution of agricultural products. Technical Assistance Technical assistance from the United States under the Point IV Program is administered by the U. S. Foreign Operations Administration, implemented by various cooperative "Servicios" and other non-Servicio activities. . Servicios have been formed in health, agriculture, and education, operating under United States direction as legal 75 units in the Honduran Government, and supported by contribu- tions to a joint operating fund from each of the two Govern- ments. Under non-Servicio activities, mainly advisory in nature, such as those for civil aviation, highways, census, budget, etc., technicians paid directly from FOA funds are assigned directly to the appropriate Honduran Government agency where they function as advisers-consultants. The agriculture and natural resources program.involVes advising farmers on irrigation and erosion control, spraying and insect control, breeding methods and stock improvement, seed selection and agronomy research; soil utilization, and forest-fire control and reforestation; furnishing farm.machin- ery services through a machinery pool; well drilling; and the inauguration of a national livestock center. A health.and sanitation program covers improvement of water supplies; conStruction of sewage plants; an antitubercu- losis campaign; organization of a nursing service; and a na- tionwide DDT and chlordane antimosquito campaign. Under transportation, communications, and power, the technical assistance program.includes activities for the im- provement of civil aviation facilities; countrywide highway development; and port development. Activity in the industry and mining field includes the stimulation of industrial in- vestment development, surveys of coal resources, etc. In community development work, assistance is being given.in developing a health education program, extension 76 work, and, in more isolated rural areas, the development of us clubs similar to the U. S. hH organization. An agriculture directorate has been organized under the Ministry of Agriculture. Progress in agricultural programs is indicated by the establishment of extension offices and us Clubs; home canning demonstrations; antiforest-fire and grasshopper-eradication campaigns; the stimulation of private business through the sale and distribution of agricultural_ supplies, equipment, and seeds; the formation of a national livestock growers association; cattle breeding improvements; three major schools (10 to 25 buildings each) constructed in collaboration with the Education Servicio (two rural normal schools and one vocational agriculture school); notable in- terest developed in irrigation, educational pamphlets printed and distributed; and educational movies shown from a traveling sound truck to thousands of farmers. STICA's activities during 1953 covered such diverse phases of agriculture as testing and developing improved varieties of corn, rice, beans, potatoes, and other vege- tables; teaching farmers the advantages of putting up hay and ensilage for supplemental feeding during the dry season when pastures dwindle, and teaching them how to spray live- stock to control ticks and the torsola fly. STICA also co- operated closely with the Department of Agriculture's exten- sion.service in all of these projects, as well as in the designing and construction of breeding stations and irrigation 77 works, demonstrating erosion control methods, combating grass- hOpper plagues, and instructing in fertilization methods. Methods of Farming The farming of the land - the plowing, sowing and reaping is done in the same manner as in other undeveloped countries and by methods in use for thousands of years. The ground is broken by a team of oxen pulling a plow. This plow consists of a cone shaped wooden part, a wooden handle, and a long beam which connects the plow, through a chain, to the source of power, the team.of oxen. The cone-shaped wooden part is covered with an iron casing or plow share which has to be changed every year if the plow is to be used in a sandy soil. There is not any resemblance between this plow and a modern steel walking plow. There is no way to change the width of the furrow. The tool, in its best performance, cuts a vee shaped furrow three to six inches deep and about six inches wide. In plowing a field, the plow man starts plowing in one direction, trying to overlap about one-third of one furrow over the other, until the field is finished. Then he starts in another direction at right angle to the first furrows. After the field is completed, portions of the land which have not been disturbed by the cone-shaped plow remain untouched and provide an ideal condition for the growth of weeds and other non-crop vegetations. In this fashion, a man and a 78 pair of oxen can plow from one-half to three-fourths of an hectare in a lO-hour day, depending on whether the field is being plowed in one or two directions. In some parts of Honduras, specially in the highlands, the farmer uses a special shovelto plow and prepare the seed bed for the cultivation of corn, beans or sorghum. In this fashion, by animal or human labor, the land is prepared and then sowing is done by hand. At present all the crop products in Honduras are har- vested by hand, since there are not extensive areas under cultivation which.may justify the use of combines, corn-pickers or other types of harvesting machines. There are few locali- ties in which corn-shellers and small threshing machines are now being used, and fortunately they are gaining popularity among the farmers. Agricultural Machinery in Honduras With the exception of the two banana companies in the North Coast of Honduras, agricultural machinery such as tractors, steel plows, harrows, threshers, have been intro- duced very recently in the other parts of the country. The Direccion General de Agriculture, a dependence of the Ministry of Agriculture, has already initiated a partial program of mechanization. According to our knowledge and the information received, part of the policy of this program is 79 Fig. h. The Honduran plow Fig. 5. ”The use of steel plows is now gaining popularity among the farmers. 80 F18. 6 e Planting of the field. Note the seed bed and the two receptacles for carry- ing two different crop seeds. 81 to undertake part of the land preparation and charge the far- mer or the landlord for its service. At the present time, there are a few tractors, steel plows, threshing machines, and other farm machinery used in large scale farming by landlords and custom operators. But so far, we can say that very little has been done to change the design of the old wooden plow and give the peasant a steel plow and other elementary equipment such as harrows, cultivators, and grain drills which can be pulled by his yoke of oxen. According to the Census of 1952, Table 21 shows the number of farms, tractors and plows in Honduras. TABLE 21 Department E38211” ”8‘3“" 333: 3333. Atlantida 3.h95 20 ’ 26 8 Colon 3,961 3 7 2h Comayagua 8,h7l 11 9h 2,353 Coven 13.0w 15 95 2.1+33 Cortes 6,688 100 119 127 Choluteca 13,2h5 22 88 2,56h El Paraiso 10,5uo ‘ 10 129 5,066 Francisco Morazan 17,269 36 179 9,265 Intibuca 9,239 -- 33 2,277 Bay Islands 9H7 -- 10 2 La Paz 7,583 l uh 909 TABLE 21 (Cont.) ._-‘ l I r 82 N be Steel Wood Department ogmfaims Tractors plows plows Lempira 15,017 -- 16 2,661 Ocotepeque 6,632 -- 23 2,236 Olancho 10,h61 5 51 2,3h1 Santa Barbara 13,79h 12 56 291 Valle 7,292 5 25 2,09h Yoro ' 8,152 as hS 606 Total Honduras 156,135 283 1,0uo 35.257 The imports of farm.machinery to Honduras during the years 1950 - 195k, given by the United States Exports of Domestic Merchandise, are shown in Table 22. TABEE 22 FARM MACHINERY IMPORTS 1950-19Sh Commodity 1950 1951 1952 1953 195a Sprayer and duster (hand) 321 h65 372 --- 650 Sprayer and duster (power) h 30 23 --- 76 Plows (animal drawn) 20 190 300 --- --- Plows (tractor drawn or mntd.) 17 6H 68. 80 110 Harrows 8 uh. hl 17 15 TABLE 22 (Cont.) 83 Commodity 1950 1951 1952 1953 1958 Cultivators 21 61 #9 AB u3 Planters 8 37 28 1h -- Mowers (tractor drawn or Mntd.) l 29 -- -- 10 Harvesting implements -- -- -— -- 3 Combines (pull type) -- -- 3 -- -- Pickup balers -- -- 2 -- -- ThrOSheI’S ..- -- u -.- -- Shellers (corn and other seed separators) 1h . 18 no 18 22 Tractors: Tracklaying: under 35 D.B.HP ll 2 -- -- -- 35 - 9 " ' 2 8 17 21 1h 50 - 9 ' " 6 7 5 6 2 7o - 95 " " u 20 18 16 3 wheel Type - Row Crop: g—éfi Belt gr -5 6 -- u -- 1 - 29 13 2 25-29' " ” 6 19 1% -- 1 30-38 ” " -- -- 10 7 3 BS-over " 5 12 16 18 -- Standard Wheel Type: I 20-214. Belt HP 2 -- -.- -- 1 25-31 " ~ e .. -- 67 21 35-hh ” " 1 7 -- 2 -- hS-over " -- 2 -- -- -- 3h Fig. 7. Land clearing is one of the major problems for the incorporation of new crop land. Fig. 8. One type of equipment used by the Ministry of Agriculture in its custom.work program. 85 Fig. 9. Contour planting is now in practice, but note the rough seed bed and great amounts or organic matter that would be incorpor- ated if better tillage equipment were used. Fig. 10. Anhmal drawn disk harrow enables better seed beds to be prepared. 86 Fig. 11. Stationary threshing machine. Units of this type are now being operated under the supervision of the Extension Service. Fig. 12. Cleaning operation. With the use of small seed cleaners, loss of grains and labor would be reduced to a minimum. 87 Agricultural Regions The following is a brief discussion of the important agricultural regions of Honduras, each characterized by a distinctive pattern of agricultural conditions and possi- bilities: (I) The Lowland Along the Caribbean Coast Between Cuyamel and La Ceiba Large parts of this region were formerly banana-land, ' now abandoned, but many squatters have moved in. The rain- fall (Type I - formula 0.3.9 - 2500)* is favorable for a wide range of commercial crOps, such as bananas, abaca, African oil palm, cassave, agave, cacao. The population amounts to 17 persons/sq. km. including the cities; the rural population is about 7 persons/sq. km. Nearly 3 per- cent of the total area is planted to crops; vast areas of flat land are waste. The soils vary widely, but probably a great part is fertile. Dairies are found near Tela and La Ceiba; west of Tela is the sole oilpalm.enterprise of Henduras. In the neighboring hills cohume palms are fre- quent, and rice is cultivated on milpas. The coast is locally swampy or sandy in which case coconuts are grown. In the mountains erosion is not yet serious and a number of small streams could be used for irrigation, while the *0.3. 9 - 2500 refers to precipitation as follows: 2508 - total precip tation in mm. - number of months with less than 60 mm. 3 - z u between 60-100 mm. - " of over 100 mm. 88 swamps could largely be drained. The three ports, La Ceiba, Tela and Puerto Cortes are connected by a railroad, with little traffic between La Ceiba and Tela. This region has no roads, but has two attractive residential areas (La Ceiba and Tela). (II) The Sula Valley This region is agriculturally the most advanced, with the best soils in Honduras. The climatic conditions are favorable for agricultural activities, in the northern part wet (0.3.9 - 2500) becoming drier further inland (3.2.7 - 1500). The population is no persons/sq. km. including the cities San Pedro Sula, Puerto Cortes, and La Lima (headquarters of the United Fruit Company). The rural population amounts to about 16 persons/sq.km. The National Railroad and a railroad systemvof the Tela Railroad Company run through the valley from the south to Puerto Cortes. An all-weather road runs inland from.aan Pedro to Tegucigalpa, and also a fairly good read is now connecting San Pedro with Santa Rosa and Santa Barbara. The Tela Railroad Company has concentrated all its banana plantations along the banks of the Chamelecon and Ulua rivers and holds extensive pastures in the east and south. Along the west side of San Pedro Sula a large number of the best dairy-farms of Honduras are found. Furthermore, a large white-sugar enterprise and the sole abaca plantation are located in this valley. 89 The area planted to crops and covered with good pasture is approximately 30 percent of the total area and there are large possibilities left to develop dairy farming and commer- cial agriculture, in particular sugar-cane, agave and cassava in the southern part and oilpalm and abaca in the north. (III) The Aguan Valley and Coastal Plain off Trujillo The lower parts of the Aguan valley were banana land be- fore, but abandoned in l9h0 because of the Panama disease. The Aguan Valley Company has now concentrated its banana- growing in the very dry inland part west of Olancho (Coyoles). Cattle-raising is limited here by lack of water. In the lower regions of the valley vast areas of fertile land lie waste or are in unused pastures. This region would probably be irrigable. The rainfall here is favorable (2.2.8 - ZHOO). The region is thinly populated with probably not more than 5 persons/sq.km. About 5 percent of the land of the valley is planted to crops. Combining the possibilities of the dry inland and the more moist coastal region, beef-cattle raising would probably prove profitable. Priority should be given, however, to development of large scale agriculture since the conditions for mechanization are extremely good. (IV) Mosquitia Plain This plain is completely uneXplored. The climate is probably of Type II (2.2.8 - 2&00) and may be favorable for 90 a wide range of crops. The general features of the soils may be unfavorable, but it is quite possible that there will be vast areas of fertile alluvial soils. The peasants grow rice along the lagoons and the riverbanks. (V) The Eastern Central Part and Olancho-Jamestran This region, part of rainfall Zone III (3.2.7 - 1500) south of the Aguan Valley, is thinly populated (5 Persons/ sq. km.) but possesses vast resources of good valley land (Juticalpa-Catacamas and further east in the department of Olancho and Jamastran in El Paraiso). Only one percent of the total area is planted to crops but in some parts vast areas are under pasture for grazing a few cattle. The higher terraces are mainly infertile and usable as grazing grounds only. An agricultural colony is in operation now near Cata- camas, where the Ministry of Agriculture in cooperation with the SCIDE (Servicio Cooperativo Interamericano de Educacion) (Inter—emerican Cooperative Service for Education) is running a vocational agriculture school. Farm mechaniza- tion in this region shows possibilities of great value, but the lack of transportation facilities, and lack of irrigation are the major obstacles for the development of a well-mechan- ized program. In some parts the structure of landownership is unfavor- able, i.e., Juticalpa and Jamastran, where people are already 91 forced to farm the mountains, while vast areas of flat-land lie waste or are used for unprofitable cattle grazing. (VI) The Mountainous Central and South-Western Region This region, which has unfavorable soil, climate and landownership conditions covers parts of Choluteca, El Paraiso, Yoro and Santa Barbara and the Departments Francisco Morazan, La Paz, Comayagua, Intibuca, Lempira, Ocotepeque and Copan. The climatic conditions are unfavorable (Zones IV and V: 5.1.6 with l300-lh00 mm. rainfall annually) the soils are easy victims of erosion and commonly infertile, except for small strips of alluvial land in the narrow valleys. South of the line Tegucigalpa-Comayagua-Copan the land is over-populated and in this part there is hardly any fertile land. The structure of landownership is extremely unsound. Subsistence farming, based on methods of shifting cultivation resulting in severe losses in land and forest, is the pre- vailing system.and vast areas of pine-land are kept thin by cutting and burning to benefit very poor pasture. On these dying lands 30 to 50 percent surplus population tries to find a living in agriculture. Most of the Honduras coffee is grown here and many patches of sugar-cane are scattered over the mountain slopes. In the northeastern parts of this region erosion is less severe but absentee farming is wide- spread. 92 (VII) The Pacific Coastal Plain In this plain unfavorable conditions of soil and climate prevail. With six very dry months,unreliable rainfall in two other months, and no possibilities for irrigation, there is little chance for agricultural improvement. A large part of the plains is under very poor communal pasture and the better! soils are controlled by a few landlords. Cotton would per— haps be successful if rotated with pastures in mixed farming, and in places where the land is irrigable white sugar produc- tion could be considered. 93 III. PROBLEMS OF AGRICULTURAL MECHANIZATION OF HONDURAS AND THE PROPOSED SOLUTIONS Land Use and Landownership Land Use According to the information given by the Information Service of the Central Bank of Honduras and of the National Development Bank, Tables 23 and 2h show the distribution and land utilization of the territory of Honduras. TABLE 23 DISTRIBUTION OF HONDURAS' TERRITORY __ :— Total Departments acreage Mountains Plains and Valleys in ha' Area in % of Area in % of he total ha. total Total Honduras 11,520,500 7,307,500 63.h h,213,000 36.6 Atlantida ' 29,000 255,000 59.% 17 ,000 no.6 Colon 2, 63,000 65 ,500 . 2,00 ,500 75.h Copan 315,000 255,600 81.1 59,uoo 1 Cortes h06,500 96,000 23.6 310,500 . Choluteca h30,h00 215, 500 50.1 21h,900 h9.9 El Paraiso 7hO,300 590,300 79.7 150,000 20. Francisco Morazan 811, 000 686,000 8%.6 125,000 15. Bay Islands 27,500 2%,300 8 .h 3200 ll. Intibuca 31,000 27 500 83.0 §%, ,500 11.0 La Paz ,600 202,100 8 .h ,500 11.6 Lempira hg7, ,500 h03,500, 32.2 ,000 35 .8 Ocote eque 500 2,500 1.7 3 ,000 l Olanc 0 2,52 ”200 fls 700 87.5 316,500 £5 Santa Barbara 520,000 352, 000 67.7 168,000 g2. .3 Valle 167,000 29, 500 17.7 137,500 2. 3 Yoro 813,u00 519, 900 63.9 293.500 .1 9h TABLE 2h LAND UTILIZATION IN HONDURAS, 1950-51 Major land used Area in Percentage hectares of total Annual crops ' 312,300 2.7 Perennial crops 123,500 1.1 Fallow land 389,300 3.0 Pastures ’ l,99h,000 17.3 Mountains ‘ 3,027,100 26.3 Forests ' h,873,500 h2.3 Cities, roads, railroads, etc. 391,800 3.h Others , 109,000 3.5 Total Honduras 11,520,500 100.0 These figures demonstrate the fact that only a small part of the land is under crops, namely a little more than 7 percent of which more than 3 percent is laid idle each year as fallow land (shifting cultivation in 8-12 years rotation). Joosten (1952) gives some figures for the mountain- land and flat-land used for crop production. These esti- mates are shown in Table 25. Some results of an analysis of these data are mapped in Figures 13, 1h and 15. 95 TABLE 25 ESTIMATED AREAS OF MOUNTAINLAND AND FLAT LAND IN USE FOR CROP PRODUCTION (Area in sq. km.) ==--——-L_ Yearly area planted on: {Staieagzg gioggggg Crop Mountains Flat land Mountains Flatland Corn 1300 650 6500 #50 Sorghum. h00 180 650 70 Rice and wheat 150 30 750 30 Beans 60 215 --- 75 Other annual crops 50 55 150 55 Sugar-cane 100 70 100 70 Coffee 360 -- 360 -- Bananas 50 270 50 270 Plantains 80 25 '80 25 Other perennial crops -~. 85 -- 85 Vegetables 25 30 100 60 Fruit trees 60 30 60 30 Well-kept pastures on flat land -- u50 -- u50 Total 2595 2080 8760 1670 In use as "milpa" (shifting cultivation) 8150 96 These estimates show that: a) between 800,000 and 900,000 ha mountainland are used ‘in shifting cultivation, approximately u50,000 ha of which are already degraded to shrub and weed land showing severe erosion; b)l65,000 ha of flat land is in use for agriculture, that is, only 11 percent of the available flat land adapt- able to agriculture. According to Joosten, vast areas of flat land or nearly flat good land lay waste or were used largely as grazing grounds, although they were poor pastures, being infested with weeds and shrubs, while steep slopes in the neighboring hills were used for growing corn, resulting in loss of soil and destruction of the forest. Furthermore, vast areas of pine forest are kept thin by cutting and burning to favor pastures. These pastures are mainly very poor and probably this practice costs more in losses of soil, timber and water resources than it produces in beef. In the southwestern part of Honduras, south of the line Copan-Santa Barbara-Talanga and west of Talanga-San Marcos de Colon there is hardly any usable flat land, leaving the possibilities for agriculture to shifting cultivation of the mountain slopes or grazing cattle on very poor pastures. This is nevertheless the most densely p0pu1ated region of Honduras, with about 30 persons/sq.km. 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L O mu: m, '/ U.u.U(& 103 Beef-cattle is usually raised over vast areas owned by one person or on communal and national land without fencing by a large number of cattle owners. Here too it would be difficult to speak of farms in the real sense of that term. It would be contrary to the factual evidence to think that Honduras could do without farming based on shifting cultivation. The greater part of the rural population is dependent on that method of agriculture, and in most regions there is hardly any usable flat land available. The prac— tice of shifting cultivation should therefore be incorpor- ated in a well balanced system of hill-farming on adequately sized farms. Assuming that all possible measures to check erosion are applied, including long rotation periods and re- planting where possible with leguminous trees and coffee, cacao or other cash crops, at least 25 hectares would be needed to maintain the farmer and his family at an accept- able standard. Absentee Farmdng Most owners of large-landed, and many owners of medium- landed property are not living on their land. They leave the farming to a manager, generally poorly paid. Much farming in Honduras appears to be done by absentee farmers in that way. This also may be one of the causes of the backward state of the agriculture in Honduras. Farm management involving a well planned and balanced use of mixed farming and crop ro- tation does not appear to exist. As most of the knowledge 101. needed for a system of proper farm management has not yet been collected, it would be desirable to start studies on this subject. The natural and economic conditions vary widely in Honduras and for each different region the suit- able size of the farm, the crop rotation and rotation period with pastures and legumes have to be calculated and tested on experimental farms. In these studies attention should be given to the possibilities of mechanization, as the larger properties in particular would have to compete for labor if a more intensive land use were practiced. As long as absentee farming prevails progress will be slow and in any case might not last). To achieve lasting~ progress it is necessary that the farmer should live on his farm and be inspired by the spirit to build a modern farm based on the principles of modern agriculture. He will then find ways to use the resources available for permanent profit to himself and the community. Land-ownership and Land-tenure There are five official kinds of titles on land in Honduras : 1) National land, which comprises all the land without all?“ legal title and the land bought by the government; 2) National land leased to enterprises; 3) Ejidal land, which is land granted to the municipali- ties and villages according to the regulations of the Ley 105 Agraria and divided among the members of the community as rights of occupation, which rights are hereditary. The communitycan sell this land, if it is not occupied, into ownership, while the occupier can only dispose of his right of occupancy. There is practically no real difference be- tween the title of occupancy and that of full ownership, and it would be desirable to discard the former, thus simplifying the legislation and the structure of landownership; h) Communal land, belonging to the community and commonly ‘used by all its members for grazing cattle without any title ‘by single members to any particular spot. 5) Privately owned land; property without restriction. The government can dispose of national land by selling, granting in ejidal and granting to settlers in so-called "lotes de Families" at a maximum of 20 hectares per farm. ilTie law also provides regulations for the lease of land for agricultural or other undertakings, if the company is ap- Proved by the government. Concessions to companies are granted by resolution of the Congress. The rent is L. 0.25/ha 311’ brought under cultivation by the Company or L. 1./ha per Elnrmm if left idle. The idea behind the "lotes de families" is to encourage tile foundation of farmsteads by the peasants and in particu- lar- to promote resettlement. It would be desirable to alter tale regulation regarding the maximum size of the "lotes de falnilias", which might be made the responsibility of the 106 Ministry and the Comision Permanente de Immigration y Coloni- zation. As the natural and economic conditions in different parts of Honduras vary widely, farms of 20 he would mean waste of land in some parts, while in others this unit would be too small to support a family adequately. Table 26 shows the distribution of Honduras' territory during 1950-1951. TABLE 26 LAND TENANT IN HONDURAS ' (Area in 1000 ha.) .—..._..._ —_—_—_. __ - - ....--__ Department T013331 National E j idal Communal Private area Area %* Area % Area % Area % _A‘ .— Honduras 11,520.5 3,632.0 31.5 1,962.0 17.0 1127.5 3.7 5.1-$99.0 1.17.8 Atlantida 29.0 20.0 8.7 26.0 6.0 2.0 0.5 381.0 88.8 Cohar: 2, 33.0 1,833.0 70.7 89.0 1.8 1.3 0.1 729.9 27.8 Comayagua 521.6 33.0 6.3 1 2.0 27.2 8.2 1.6 338. 611.9 Copaza 315.0 82.0 13.3 3.0 26.8 8.2 1.3 185. 59.0 Cortes 1106.5 5900 05 91.0 2201.. 23.0 5.7 23305 570% Choluteca 14.30.)... 2800 OS 5700 1302 3390 707 312.“. 720 El Paraiso 71.0.3 88.0 11.1. 97.0 13.1 21.0 2.8 538.3 72.7 Frmc1aco Morazan 811.0 252.0 31.1 21.8.0 30.1 13.0 1.6 302-0 37.2 Bay Islands 27.5 16.0 58.2 ---- --- --- --- 11.5 1.1.8 Etibucg 313.0 7.0 2.2 128.0 1.0.9 1.2 mg 176.8 56.5 L. 1": 228.6 6.0 2.6 85.0 37.2 17% 7. 120.2 52.6 01115116.. 1.37.5 10.0 2.3 169.0 38.6 2. 0.6 255.7 58.5 o§° Basque 178.5 3.0 1.7 29.0 16.6 3.0 1.7 139.5 80.0 saggch" 2,522.2 862.0 38.2 581.0 23.0 173.2 6.9 906.0 35.9 “11‘ Barbara 520.0 28.0 5% 97.0 18.7 97.5 18.7 297.5 57.2 Yam" 167.0 3.0 1. 21.0 12.6 17.5 10.5 125.5 75.1 8130“. 29600 36.)... 6300 708 902 101 “.5502 5407 \ *POrcentage of total area 107 The following is the general picture of the landownership in the country: a) the peasant (campesino) has practically no land of his own but works for the greater part on rented or ejidal land, and in many places he has merely occupied national land or re- mote parts of the latifundia (large estates) without any legal title at all (colonos); , b) there is a limited number of owners of medium-sized landed property, many of whom live in towns, and are absen- tee farmers; c) a small number of landlords controlling vast areas of .land on titles based on old Spanish grants. Tenancy of small parcels of undetermined ownership, absentee medium sized landownership and landlordism appear to be the elements of the structure of the landownership in ILonduras and the "standard indictment" ofLatin-American quriculture by Hanson (1951) is applicable to many aspects of the situation. This indictment may therefore be appro- Priately quoted here: "The substance of the charge is that a small group of land monopolists has controlled the bulk of the productive ilsuad of Latin America, has failed to accept the social 1'8 sponsibility that properly attaches to landownership, has Prevented the state from aligning the exercise of this pri- Vat-.9 power with the public welfare, has provided a base for tale economy which is both weak and unstable.” 108 \ "The landowner has failed to discharge effectively with a longerange broad viewpoint the duties of estate manage- ment. His preference for the immediate gains of commercial crops keyed to foreign markets has prompted over-concentration on a few crops, holding of land unproductively to permit quick shifts into such crops as world markets indicate, development of a transportation and marketing mechanism.adjusted to the demands of export markets rather than to the broadening of the domestic market. His willingness to accept the particular year’s returns as a measure of success in exploitation of the land - whether as is frequently the case he is an absentee owner or whether he is himself directing the operation of ‘the property - has militated against sound agricultural practices, such as maintenance of soil fertility, in favor (of exploitative agriculture, soil mining, and the like.” "The landowner has failed to provide the capital and Inanagerial drive for a continuing expansion of production, Ifiar constant improvement of the competitive position of Commercial crops in export markets, for broadening of domes- tzic outlets through the larger purchasing power that might fTLow from greater productivity per man. His comfortable ac- c=eptance of the lush livelihood provided him by his estates, car the social prestige attaching to landownership, of the 1tnowledge that land values might be expected to rise almost ilnevitably to reward speculative holding of idle lands, and 111s easy cmmmand of both the political and financial machinery 109 of the country which lessened his concern over periodic fluctuations in international markets, reduced his interest in making adjustments to the economic and social needs of the community.” "The landowner has not been disturbed by the lower carrying capacity of the land which was a consequence of the system. His tenants have been exposed to insecurity of occupancy and meagerness of opportunity to transfer capital into land ownership. His workers have been inadequately protected by the government, not provided with conditions that might furnish incentive to personal effort and educa- tion for eventual assumption of managerial responsibilities. Iiis government has been discouraged from adequately taxing the rural properties, from penalizing the practice of with- liolding extensive tracts of land from productive use, from JPaising sufficient funds to provide the minimum of social services, from enforcing adequately such protective legis- lsition as occasionally but increasingly filtered through the landowner's control of the political machinery. And far from attracting to the land the leadership which should have gravitated toward it in so overwhelmingly agricultural 8&1 economy, the educational and social system has tended to aeparate the ablest youth from the soil.” Almost all the land cultivated by the peasants, in Particular in the mountainous south-western and central part of Honduras, is rented from landlords or is "ejidal" 110 or national land without legal title. It appears that about 70 percent of the producers do not possess a farm.at all and for the greater part of these people there are probably no opportunities to establish a farm, as long as the struc- ture of landownership remains as it is. In several places the country people named landlords with properties of 10,000-.50,000 ha, and occasionally even higher figures were mentioned. The peasant has often to pay 50 percent of the yield and only in very few cases was the rent said to be lower than 25 percent. This land, it must be clearly understood, is spread over large moun- tainous areas fit for shifting cultivation only, which in almost every case means heavy erosion. The high rents asked for the land accentuate the burden on the peasant who has to work more and more land to gain a living. This system also means prolonged planting in shortening rotation periods, thus destroying the land. The peasant is naturally not pre- pared to put labor and money into land that is not his and no measures to stop erosion or to improve the land are prac- ticed. 11:13 generally recognized that the majority of people who Possess meager resources are slow to apply new techniques. Agriculture is a highly personal matter, and every producer should be given opportunity to maintain himself and his fam1 1y at an acceptable standard. 111 Pride of land ownership is an essential part of agri- cultural improvement, and only by government action can the necessary steps be taken to provide the producers with an Opportunity to possess land. Wise steps in this direction can create a strong body of agricultural producers who by their own united efforts can do much to apply the modern technical knowledge which can be made available to them. Without radical changes in the structure of landownership and tenancy there can be no expectations of agricultural imp provement and progress even if the most elaborate efforts to apply modern techniques are made. If the government really desires progress, it has to face this problem first of all. A strong and determined policy combatting malmanagement, unsocial behavior by landlords and absentee landownership, is essential to prepare the way for sound improvement of the country's agriculture. The results would benefit the nation as a whole. 6 This problem could be tackled along several lines: a) taxation of the landed property to raise the funds for the General Bureau of Land Records and to force the landlords to apply better management or to dispose of property; b) buying up all estates which come for sale; dividing the land into workable units of cultivation with well-equipped fa.I‘lns to be sold or leased to experienced farmers willing to live on the farm. Credit facilities will doubtless be ne°