Cropping systems in Pespire, Southern Honduras, University of Kentucky, INTSORMIL project : preliminary report number 1

After a general introduction to Honduras and to the southern region, the region of greatest sorghum production, variants of Pespire"s two main cropping systems - slash and mulch, and slash and burn (both of which use sorghum and maize, the region"s two main crops) - are described, as is the cultivation of secondary crops and of pasture. The report then indicates major production constraints in Pespire and some possible solutions; seed types used in the area are characterized. The survey showed sorghum to be both a multipurpose and - due to its drought tolerance - an important risk-aversion crop. Key production constraints were identified as bird predation, storage losses (especially to C. granaria), locusts, fall army worm, and the eating of seed before it germinates by ants and termites. The survey also revealed that wide adoption of pesticides by farmers augurs well for future technology diffusion efforts. Two appendices analyze, respectively, the use of sorghum as a human food and changing land use patterns in Honduras and Central America; the latter indicates that increased cattle production is leading to wholesale destruction of forests and a reduction in arable land. Included are 22 tables and a 42-item bibliography (l959-82) of English and Spanish titles.