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Interviews:
The
departments of Atlantida, Colon, Yoro, Cortez, Santa Barbara, Francisco Morázan,
Olancho, El Paraíso, and Choluteca represent the areas most affected by Hurricane
Mitch. These departments also represent the largest number of livestock producers,
owning more than 68% of the cattle in Honduras. They occupy more than 50%
of land dedicated to milk production. I focused on these eight departments
for the base of my interviews. I traveled within the departments with resident
veterinarians or producers to conduct my interviews personally. Interviewees
included both small- and large-scale operations. Following is the result of
my interviews.
For two weeks after Mitch left Honduras, rain continued to fall, causing
heavy flooding. In some areas, the level of rain reached 30 inches per hour.
Many producers were forced to transfer their animals to higher
ground. Rivers flooded, destroying bridges and roads. Many animals drowned
in the floods that ensued in just a few hours after Mitch hit the north coast.
Several farmers told me of how they found animals over 30 kilometers down
river. Others died in the days following due to disease and cold climate.
Pneumonia and other respiratory disorders were the most common ailments presented.
The effects of Mitch continue today; many producers lost their entire pasture
land and animals are starving and losing body condition score. Most producers,
facing extensive and costly damages, chose to slaughter many animals rather
than treat their illnesses or remedy their condition.
The results I received from these interviews included information on the extent of losses, the amount of veterinary care received before and after Mitch, questions pertaining to the types of illnesses encountered, and opinions on veterinary medicine and the role veterinarians play in Honduras. With such widespread devastation, government officials, health care workers and veterinarians were helpless to remedy the situation. The government of Honduras does not have disaster relief protocol, and poverty and poor urban planning have left the country in complete disrepair. There was not funding or rehabilitation of housing, agriculture, or production systems. In the production sector, this brought serious consequences. Many producers could not afford to spend money to recoup their animals. Currently the government of Honduras, along with supporting international governments and organizations, are attempting the rehabilitation of the country. Veterinarians play a significant role in the reconstruction process. Producers are searching for current technology, medicine, pasture, and ways in which to improve their production systems. Some popular examples include artificial insemination, breeding programs, estrous synchronization, embryonic transfers, and reproductive endocrinology. Veterinarians may provide education and services to assist with such programs.
Producers also lost fencing, pasture, installations, and stables. Installations
such as dairy barrels, refrigeration systems, water supplies,
water and feed troughs, and corrals were damaged or destroyed. During the
days following Mitch, transportation was halted in many parts of Honduras.
This was an exceptional problem for the dairy producers who could not transport
their product. Many producers do not have regional dairy centers and are required
to transport their product to more distant locations. With roads closed and
bridges out, many were forced to sell milk at lower prices to local villages.
In many parts of Honduras, transportation continues to be a problem. Extra
costs incurred by the producer decrease the available funding for animal health
and herd rehabilitation. Producers must properly allot their funds; although
animal health is the most important issue, producers must also address the
above issues.
I was able to attend several conferences dedicated to rehabilitation of dairy and meat production. These sectors suffered the majority of losses from Mitch. The country is attempting rehabilitation rapidly and sustainably. Many foundations and associations are dedicated to investigating the extent of the damages incurred and implementing methods of reconstruction. Each department of Honduras has an association of agricultural and livestock producers, although the membership includes only a small percentage of Honduran producers. The department of Atlantida and San Pedro Sula held conferences this summer to review the options for members to reconstruct their farms through organizational funding. The two conferences focused on losses incurred by members and included surveys of the amount lost to each member, the type of damages suffered, and the amount of money needed to rebuild. I attended both of these conferences and was able to conduct interviews of the members as well as join seminars planning their reconstruction.
I also attended the annual conference of FENAGH, the National Federation of Agriculture and Livestock Producers of Honduras. This conference involved presidents of the livestock associations of Honduras who represented each department's members. Members of the cabinet attended the conference to address questions and create new policy that will allow producers to reconstruct their production systems. There were seminars held on reconstructing production systems, developing cooperatives for the future, and creating private funding for producers. Many extenuating circumstances make the rehabilitation process difficult. Most producers have existing loans from banks with stiff loan restrictions. The upcoming season of hurricanes in Honduras is predicted to be worse than the previous season; this increases the risk to lenders and also prevents producers from making the guarantee to take out new loans. Also, the interest rate in Honduras is now more than 20%. Controls on import and export of agricultural products do not exist, allowing neighboring countries to import cheese, milk, and meat at lower costs than Honduran producers can sell their products. This conference tried to address these problems. The Minister of Reconstruction assessed the losses to the agricultural sector to account for more than half the total damages to Honduras. He provided that Honduras will raise funds equaling more than $3,600 million from the international community. The remainder will be provided through low-interest loans given through Honduran banks.
I interviewed several practicing veterinarians, many of whom echoed the sentiments of the producers. During Mitch, most veterinarians were confined to their homes and unable to leave to help producers with animal health. However, veterinarians currently recognize their large responsibility in the reconstruction process. Many are organizing projects and requesting funds internationally to aid in this endeavor.