Community-driven watershed management for climate change adaptation

Project completed

The "Dry Corridor" of Honduras has a “climate risk index” rating that is among the world’s highest. The population suffers from repeated drought and other extreme meteorological events. Rural families depend on natural resources and are the most affected. One critically important adaptation to climate change is integral water management. Using a community-driven approach, through dialogue and territorial governance mechanisms, the program will improve the resilience of the poor in the trans-border watershed of the Goascorán River.

Country/region Topic Period Budget
Honduras
Climate change and environment
Water
Environmental policy
Disaster risk reduction DRR
Water resources conservation
01.12.2013 - 31.12.2018
CHF  8’000’000
Background

On the mountain slopes in the upper Goascorán watershed increasingly frequent extremes of drought and intense rainfall erode soils that have lost adequate forest and other vegetable cover, reducing water retention and endangering the poor rural population.

Objectives

To improve the livelihoods and resilience of the population most vulnerable to climate change by increasing the capacity of farm and community organizations as well as public and private institutions to undertake integral management of prioritized micro-watersheds in the Goascorán watershed.

Target groups
  • 75,000 persons in 15,000 families in the 16 municipalities involved in the watershed management.
  • Five thousand agricultural producers, women, youth and indigenous people who benefit from technologies, works and collective action undertaken for environmental restoration and reduction of vulnerability to natural disasters.
  • Urban populations, businesses, civil organizations, NGOs, municipal associations, and other institutions that operate in the watershed and benefit from improved water supply stability.

 

Medium-term outcomes

Outcome 1: Farm families have adopted CCA and DRR technologies that improve the livelihoods of the poor rural population in the micro-watersheds of the Goascorán River.

Outcome 2: Institutions engaged in micro-watershed management in the Goascorán River watershed adopt and implement plans and regulations that facilitate and support community-level private investments and technological changes for CCA-DRR.

 

Results

Expected results:  

  1. Reduced agricultural and livelihood losses.
  2. Reduced water scarcity.
  3. Greater response capacity (resilience) in the face of natural disaster damages.
  4. More stable incomes and better living conditions for the population in vulnerable rural communities.
  5. Enhanced capacity to plan, coordinate, and carry out or support CCA and DRR activities at the community, municipal, inter-municipal and national levels.

 


Directorate/federal office responsible SDC
Credit area Development cooperation
Project partners Contract partner
Private sector
  • Foreign private sector South/East


Other partners
  • Municipal Associations of the Watershed
  • NGOs and Private Service Providers in the Region

 

Coordination with other projects and actors
  • Environmental Program for Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change – PNUD
  • Canadian Cooperation Programs
  • BRIDGE Project (SDC)
  • Dry Corridor Alliance
  • FAO
  • CRS
Budget Current phase Swiss budget CHF    8’000’000 Swiss disbursement to date CHF    7’996’503
Project phases Phase 2 01.04.2019 - 31.08.2024   (Completed)

Phase 1 01.12.2013 - 31.12.2018   (Completed)