The Honduras Project

1. The Honduras Project Institutionalizing Aquacultural Development in Honduras Daniel Meyer, Freddy Arias - Zamorano Tom Popma, Joe Molnar - Auburn University Bill Tollner, Brahm Verma - University of Georgia Funded by: PDA/CRSP, USAID Supported by: Zamorano, Auburn U. and U. of Georgia For Presentation at the VI Central American Aquaculture Symposium, Tegucigalpa, Honduras. August 23, 2001 - Brahm Verma, UGA

2. Institutionalization? • To build capacity • To provide foundation for a • pattern of behavior • To enable self-determination • To give capacity of decision-making • for self maintenance For Presentation at the VI Central American Aquaculture Symposium, Tegucigalpa, Honduras. August 23, 2001 - Brahm Verma, UGA

3. Institutionalizing Aquaculture Development in Honduras • To build capacity or foundation of decision-making in Honduras for self-determination... • To have the capacity to evaluate alternatives with aquaculture for • small and medium scale farmers. For Presentation at the VI Central American Aquaculture Symposium, Tegucigalpa, Honduras. August 23, 2001 - Brahm Verma, UGA

4. Objectives • To conduct research, research support and outreach activities that will institutionalize aquaculture development in Honduras with the PanAmerican School of Agriculture in Zamorano playing a central role, in collaboration with Auburn University and University of Georgia. • Dr. Daniel Meyer is the key collaborator from Zamorano For Presentation at the VI Central American Aquaculture Symposium, Tegucigalpa, Honduras. August 23, 2001 - Brahm Verma, UGA

5. Current state • 61% of Hondurans live in rural area • 80% of rural people live in poverty • 66% of farmers have slightly more than one-hectare • 80% of Honduran agriculture in on steep-slopes • Aquaculture lacks support from the government • Farming practices on steep slopes are non-sustainable • Farmers have lack of aquaculture knowledge • Hondurans like fish and tilapia in their diet For Presentation at the VI Central American Aquaculture Symposium, Tegucigalpa, Honduras. August 23, 2001 - Brahm Verma, UGA

6. Current state (contd.) • Non-governmental Organizations are interested in • aquaculture but lack knowledge and materials • There are many NGOs in the country • There is a lack of communication among NGOs • El Carao at Comayagua is a resource for aquaculture • There is an excellent local NGO operating an electronic • information network - RDS-HN • There is an excellent educational institution - Zamorano For Presentation at the VI Central American Aquaculture Symposium, Tegucigalpa, Honduras. August 23, 2001 - Brahm Verma, UGA

7. Principles of our approach • Maintain focus on small and medium scale farmers. • Enable local NGOs to train farmers with knowledge for evaluating tilapia culture. • Develop ways by which new local knowledge is generated and shared. • Develop ways to have resource data on Honduras readily accessible to NGOs and farmers. • Develop ways to make knowledge easily accessible to Honduran decision-makers. For Presentation at the VI Central American Aquaculture Symposium, Tegucigalpa, Honduras. August 23, 2001 - Brahm Verma, UGA

8. The Five Activities • 1. Provide technical assistance to public and private fingerling • production sites in order to improve their capacity to • serve small- and medium-scale tilapia producers. • Tom Popma, Dan Meyer • 2. Build capacity of Honduran technical assistance to • providers working with small- and medium-scale • tilapia producers through improved understanding of • aquacultural technologies . • Tom Popma, Dan Meyer For Presentation at the VI Central American Aquaculture Symposium, Tegucigalpa, Honduras. August 23, 2001 - Brahm Verma, UGA

9. The Five Activities(contd.) • 3. Conduct analysis of Honduras tilapia producer • perceptions of production processes, limitations, • constraints, and possibilities for characterizing • production strategies of small and medium-scale • tilapia farms. • Joe Molnar, Freddy Arias, Robert Nelson and • Tom Popma For Presentation at the VI Central American Aquaculture Symposium, Tegucigalpa, Honduras. August 23, 2001 - Brahm Verma, UGA

10. The Five Activities (contd.) • 4. Design methods of hillside and levee ponds for local needs • of small and medium-scale tilapia producers and linking • watershed characteristics and water availability constraints. • Bill Tollner, Brahm Verma, Tom Popma, Dan Meyer, • Joe Molnar • 5. Build information distribution system that foster linkages; • makes knowledge on tilapia culture accessible to trainers, • farmers and policy makers; and creates an enabling • environment for Hondurans to make self-determination. • Brahm Verma, Dan Meyer, Tom Popma, Joe Molnar, • Bill Tollner, (Raquel Isaula, RDS-HN) For Presentation at the VI Central American Aquaculture Symposium, Tegucigalpa, Honduras. August 23, 2001 - Brahm Verma, UGA

11. What Is Important About This! • Our vision is to create an enabling environment in which Hondurans and their institutions have the capacity to make independent, informed decisions on tilapia for small and medium scale farmers. • Zamorano is the center of knowledge and outreach activities. • Local NGOs maintain a system for providing information on all aspects important for tilapia. • Electronic information technology is useful to build an enduring network among Zamorano, NGOs, farmers, and policy makers. For Presentation at the VI Central American Aquaculture Symposium, Tegucigalpa, Honduras. August 23, 2001 - Brahm Verma, UGA

12. Next • PD/A CRSP has decided to continue the funding for the next two years to complete several new activities of this project. • We will be pleased to receive your input and guidance for achieving the project goals. For Presentation at the VI Central American Aquaculture Symposium, Tegucigalpa, Honduras. August 23, 2001 - Brahm Verma, UGA

13. Thank You! My email address: bverma@engr.uga.edu For Presentation at the VI Central American Aquaculture Symposium, Tegucigalpa, Honduras. August 23, 2001 - Brahm Verma, UGA