Bonilla’s farm used traditional practices with little land preparation and weed control.

LA LIMA, Honduras – After only six months of technical support, Gina Bonilla, a farmer located in El Triunfo, Choluteca, increased her watermelon yields by 58 percent with assistance from Fintrac under the EDA (Entrenamiento y Desarrollo de Agricultores) program.

Bonilla is an independent grower with a 12-hectare farm. She previously used traditional production practices to produce watermelons and corn for local markets. Through weekly farm visits from her Fintrac field agronomist, program assistance has focused on implementing an integrated crop management (ICM) approach. Some of the new practices Bonilla adopted are:

• Improved soil preparation
• Drip irrigation
• Increased plant populations with uniform densities
• Starter solutions and biological controls
• Dedicated fertilization programs and fertigation for improved nutrition
• Weed control to reduce pest and disease pressure
• Pest and disease monitoring
• Good agricultural practices (GAPs) based on the EurepGAP protocol, including controls, follow-up and monitoring of the crops with records, improved infrastructure and environmental and social considerations
• Sampling systems for harvest estimates, quality assessments, dates and projections

Bonilla is in a production zone near 30 other watermelon growers with 385 hectares. During the last season most of these growers lost their crops because of insect problems, with the zone being declared a “national emergency” by local authorities. Bonilla, however, fared a lot better than her neighbors. Other farmers in the area have since expressed admiration of her farm and have asked to be incorporated into Fintrac’s technical assistance program.

According to Bonilla, most of the other growers lost money while her yields increased 58 percent (from 44,000 pounds per hectare to 69,500 pounds per hectare). Unit costs of production averaged $0.036 per pound, and were reduced to $0.03 per pound because of new technologies and increased yields. Bonilla sold her fruit at farm gate to local intermediate buyers at an average price of $0.078 per pound, resulting in a net income of $3,300 per hectare – an excellent result for watermelon production where traditional net incomes average $1,900 per hectare. With the more intense production system, jobs on Bonilla’s farm also increased from 6 to 12 full-time positions and temporary labor increased from 875 to 1,400 person days.

With Fintrac marketing and production assistance, Bonilla also planted 1.4 hectares of sweet potatoes under contract with a local exporter. She is also planning to begin plantain production on 5.5 hectares using Fintrac’s high density planting systems to sell to local and regional markets.

Through market-led production operations and the use of new technology, Bonilla is well on her way to owning a competitive and profitable production operation, with a diversified crop base and buyers.

The EDA program is being implemented by Fintrac and is funded by MCA-Honduras. The program’s primary objective is to make 8,255 men- and women-owned agribusinesses profitable and sustainable, resulting in increased rural incomes and employment opportunities. Through technical assistance, training and a market driven approach to crop and technology selection, growers are introduced to profitable crops; diversified farm operations and market outlets; and to technologies that maximize productivity, reduce risks and minimize unit production costs.