Early Experience with a New Program for Rural Development

Development projects conducted in rural areas in Honduras have not had the desired impact on rural dwellers ’ lives. The recently launched National Program of Sustainable Rural Development was created by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock with the intent of coordinating the interventions managed by a variety of projects in rural areas, with the overall goal of assisting rural families and their communities to reach a sustainable level of development. Rural human resources development will be critical to any sustained efforts in rural areas of Honduras. The purpose of this paper is to describe and comment on past practices of rural development programs in Honduras and to compare these practices with those of a new approach embodied in the National Program of Sustainable Rural Development (PRONADERS). PRONADERS is trying to incorporate some of the best practices in rural development and extension. Although some strategies remain undefined, the philosophical basis and early experience of PRONADERS look promising. This research is part of a longitudinal study of the program