TSU-MAF Delegation Visits Honduras to Promote Low-Carbon Livestock Project

• Strategic meetings aim to strengthen support and align efforts to reduce emissions in the livestock sector.

February 15, 2024. In an effort to move towards a more sustainable and low-carbon economy in Honduras, the team from the Technical Support Unit (TSU) of the Mitigation Action Facility (MAF), which funds the project "Transforming the Honduran livestock sector into a low-carbon economy" (MAF-Livestock-HN), carried out a strategic mission in the country from February 12 to 13.

The purpose of the visit was to engage in constructive dialogue with national authorities and main project implementing partners, to consolidate the support of the funding fund and align the project's actions with the country's priorities and commitments. This meeting facilitated collaboration and mutual understanding among stakeholders, laying the foundation for future joint actions.

The TSU-MAF delegation, led by David Sören Head, TSU coordinator, and Sékou Amadou Traoré, TSU and project technical liaison, was welcomed by Edwin García, representative of CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) in Honduras; Carlos Araya, director of Global Alliances and Strategic Partnerships at CATIE, as well as members of the Livestock and Environmental Management Unit of the Center.

During the mission, a field visit was made to the El Corral plant, where the potential for work with the meat industry was seen.

Additionally, the delegation held a meeting with representatives from FENAGH, CAHLE, CAFOGAH, FEGASURH, ZAMORANO, UNAG, and HEIFER, among others, highlighting the importance of collaboration among various actors for the success of the project.

Furthermore, with banking partners such as BANHPROVI and FUNDER, discussions were held about the scope, benefits, and scalability of the financial mechanism to be implemented within the project framework.

The delegation also visited high public sector authorities, specifically SAG and SERNA, where they were received by Ángel Acosta, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, and Malcon Stufkens, Deputy Minister of the Environment. The national authorities confirmed the alignment of the initiative with national priorities, commented on intersectoral coordination, and reiterated their support for the project.

García highlighted as a key message from the project partners that everyone is ready and recognizes that the importance of this project lies in the fact that they can be integrated into a national program, in which they can align and contribute to achieve a more significant advance.

At the conclusion of the visit, several internal agreements were generated, marking a step forward in collaboration and commitment towards the sustainability of the livestock sector in Honduras.

Members of the delegation expressed their satisfaction with the evident coordination between the Secretariats of Environment and Agriculture and reaffirmed their support for the MAF-Livestock-HN project, recognizing it as a pillar in the transformation towards more sustainable and low-environmental-impact livestock practices in Honduras.