Oikos has an ongoing Project at Honduras with the main purpose of reducing poverty through generating alternate income sources and employment, contributing also to a rational management of the natural resources on the Pespire County. Functioning from January 2008, the Project benefits a total of 6.760 persons in 15 rural communities.

With the creation of micro-industries in the food sector, the project aims to reduce poverty by increasing household income in the communities with the development of new business activities that had not been explored, and that can generate revenues and more sustainable jobs. In this sense, these "new business" are seeking to develop rational management of natural resources, as well as alternative crops.

Among the initiatives aimed at sustainable agriculture, the idea is to create an association of producers in each of the 15 beneficiary communities to manage local development. This should involve about 300 families, who will be introduced to the knowledge and skills to implement sustainable technologies, as well as the cultivation of alternative crops.

The "productive chains and sustainable management of natural Pespire" project also has a strong environmental component. From environmental education campaigns for the population to urban sanitation activities and placement of various trash bins across the County. The activity of greater impact is the construction of a landfill for proper waste disposal, so as to minimize the impact of rural and urban environmental contamination in that region.

It was also created in conjunction with the County, the "UMA" (portuguese acronym) - Municipal Environmental Unit. This Unit is responsible for various activities that encourage good management and rational use of natural resources in the county. Among many other activities, UMA encourages organized garbage collection in the beneficiary communities, giving all the logistical support and free hoes, wheelbarrows and drums requisitions for larger collections.

In the video you can hear a small testimony of Mr. Ritter Oyuela, responsible for coordinating the environmental committee of the UMA.