We started work in Honduras in 2005, invited by the German Development Agency (GIZ) to work in the Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve. Maya Nut is called Masica, Ojoche or Pisba waihka in Honduras.
Since 2005 we have trained more than 200 ladino, Chorti, Pech, Miskito and Tahwaka communities in Honduras, in the departments of Olancho, Atlantida, Copan, Choluteca, Lempira, Gracias a Dios, Santa Barbara, El Paraiso y Colon.
The Honduran program has been supported entirely by local partners since 2011. These partners include PRORENA/GIZ, UNICAF, Lancetilla Botanic Garden, COAFORPLA, INAFOR (Honduran National Forests Institute), National Forest Sciences School of Honduras, United Nations Small Grants Program, United Nations Food and Agriculture Foundation, Honduran Fund for Agricultural Research (FHIA), Toyota Foundation, Agrolibano Foundation, and the Municipal Water Association of Choluteca (AJAM), among others.
While there are some very large tracts of Maya Nut forest left in Honduras (La Mosquitia and Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve), most are relatively small (<10ha), the majority having been converted to bananas, sugar cane, coffee, pineapples and rice. For this reason, production potential in Honduras is low and commercialization of Maya Nut products has not been a priority for producers or partners. The focus in Honduras is more on family consumption, conservation and reforestation.
Women in Choluteca, Honduras learning to harvest Maya Nut. Alejandra Osorto photo