The Norman Borlaug Institute is an institution named after possibly the most famous agronomist, who won the Nobel Peace prize after his research revolutionised food yields. He was credited with saving billions of lives from starvation.
The Institute is active in Honduras and is now working to improve the quality of life for Hondurans. It is establishing the Honduran Coffee Academy, a new coffee academy with laboratories that will give face-to-face and virtual training for coffee farmers and job opportunities for the youth in the country.
While the project’s purpose is to benefit all coffee farmers, we are emphasising promoting coffee industry opportunities to Honduran youths. We will also place emphasis on helping women coffee farmers develop the knowledge and skills they need to succeed.
Roger Norton, regional director for the Borlaug Institute and director of the Center for Coffee Research and Education
The Borlaug Institute is named after Dr Norman Borlaug, also known as the Father of the Green Revolution and the one who led initiatives worldwide that contributed to extensive increases in agricultural production. The Institute strives to uphold its namesake’s legacy by running projects worldwide that help local communities and “elevate small-holder farmers out of poverty and hunger through agricultural science.”
The project will last five years and is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development in collaboration with nonprofit ACDI/VOCA. They will offer education in two specially-built laboratories with “the most advanced technologies for coffee processing, roasting, cupping and developing barista skills. It will also implement a complete curriculum related to all aspects of coffee production and the coffee industry, from plant genetics onward.”
The Borlaug Institute has already completed six other coffee-related projects in Africa and Latin America. The Institute hopes to achieve “a positive impact on the Honduran economy, both by improving the country’s vital coffee industry and helping provide additional employment opportunities for Hondurans.”
Others like Tom Hackett, whom Bartalks has interviewed previously, have also recognised the challenges in the country. Hackett is the founder behind DwellingsNow, a charity “that is committed to building homes and changing lives by providing shelter and hope for recipient families as well as a life-changing experience for those involved in the building process.” DwellingsNow builds homes and changes the lives of coffee farmers in Honduras.
Honduras is the largest coffee producer in Central America and the third-largest in Latin America. It’s the fifth biggest coffee producer in the world, producing about 4% of the world’s coffee. More than 100,000 Honduran families are directly involved in the country’s coffee industry.
