The global weather phenomenon, El Niño, impacts most parts of Central America and some of South America. El Niño is the process in which the temperature of the Eastern Ocean becomes unusually warm, causing erratic weather. In the process of the sea surface level warming up caused Honduras to experience severe drought. El Niño is causing food insecurity and an economic dip.

The Impact of El Niño in Honduras

Honduras and most of Central America expect around 3.5 million people to require humanitarian assistance because of El Niño. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), El Niño’s impact on Honduras is causing about 1.6 million people to require moderate to severe assistance with food because of the scarcity.

El Niño’s impact on Honduras causes severe drought compared to how it impacts other countries. Rural parts of the country that rely on importing goods or agriculture are affected the most by the severe drought and erratic weather the phenomenon presents. According to UNICEF, the lack of crops presents a constrained agricultural production, which leads to borderline famine and food scarcity.

The Permanent Commission of Contingencies (COPECO) declared that Honduras is on an indefinite Red Alert for 140 municipalities from rural areas to major cities. Aside from food scarcity, consumable and usable water is also becoming difficult to access. Water is now competing for agricultural use and human consumption, resulting in families in rural areas sacrificing water use for healthy hygiene. Since water is being used primarily for agriculture, there is an increase in water contamination, which affects children under five years the hardest.

Poverty in Honduras

While Honduras remains one of the poorest countries in the world, it is a remarkable and durable nation that emerged from a collapsing economy after the 2020 pandemic and two hurricanes. According to the World Bank, in 2020, more than half of the population lived under the poverty line but the country managed to recover with an increase in the labor market and an inflow of remittances.

Honduras’ economy will likely slow to 3.2% because of a slower growth of exports. El Niño’s impact on the country is a massive contributor to the halting of the economy because of the droughts it is causing. Without many crops or agricultural production, exporting goods significantly stunts the economy’s growth. The World Bank states in the report that another factor contributing to Honduras’ halting economy is low private investment and weak budget execution.

According to a report, the National Centers for Environmental Information estimates that the drought linked with El Niño is expected to cut into the region’s harvest. The drought is also impacting Honduras’ hydroelectric plants and beginning to ration electricity. Representative of The International Monetary Fund (IMF), Mr. Ricardo Llaudes, the mission’s leader to Honduras, states, “Honduras remains one of the world’s most vulnerable countries” to natural disasters, “with sizable adaptation investment needs.”

Action Against Hunger’s Efforts

Adaptation is the game’s name when dealing with El Niño and its random weather outbursts. Countries cannot prevent the phenomenon because of how long it has been around. But there are strategies, aids and plans that can be implemented to help Honduras surge forward. 

Action Against Hunger is a global humanitarian organization that provides food assistance to rural areas with minor nutrition and works to improve clean water access, safe sanitation and healthy hygiene. As of 2022, Action Against Hunger helped 227,971 people in the country in hopes of reducing the impact of El Niño. 

But a growing concern in the country is the mass amount of migration from Honduran nationals and other countries in South America, including Ecuador, Cuba, Venezuela and many more. What Action Against Hunger is doing in response is providing humanitarian support to inside and outside migration shelters alongside prioritizing children’s malnourishment.

How USAID is Helping

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced a new humanitarian funding package of $42.5 million. The package will support El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, the most impacted by El Niño. According to USAID, the support will help reduce food insecurity and provide drinking water. The U.S. is providing a short-term solution to a long-term problem.

Ways to adapt and deal with El Niño include helping farmers grow different crops that require less water. A good example is the sorghum plant. The dragon fruit cactus is a great alternative fruit tree that can survive in severe drought. U.N. agencies are helping farmers create vegetable gardens that efficiently conserve water by having a small irrigation system.

While El Niño is here to stay, there are ways to reduce its impact. Planting alternative plants that can still provide nutrition to help reduce food scarcity. New farming methods focus on conserving as much water as possible and using aid packages to develop a reliable source of consumable water and food. 

– Sebastian Llerena
Photo: Flickr