FIELD Report No. 14: Sustainability in the Honduran Informal Market System

Honduras has made substantial progress over the past decade in the agricultural sector, particularly in production skills and market linkages in the fresh fruits and vegetables sector, due in part to substantial intervention by international donors. The resulting agriculture system has an increased capacity—but remains donor-dependent. This has led USAID to explore ways of harnessing more local actors (primarily, but not exclusively, in the private sector) to create more sustainable market systems capable of “upgrading” the different levels of the chain for the benefit of all.

A market assessment, led by ACDI/VOCA through the FIELD-Support LWA, was conducted on the complexity, dynamics, and functioning of the current agricultural market systems for maize, beans, and selected horticulture crops. The objective was to pinpoint optimal ways for USAID to stimulate the development of a truly dynamic and self-upgrading market system.