 Hillside
comprise over 87 percent of the cultivated land in Honduras and 40 percent in Nicaragua
where ecological vulnerability to erosion, nutrient depletion, and other degradative
processes are high. In addition it is estimated that population of these areas will double
in 35 years and that there are already 63 million hectares of degraded in the region.
Thus, there is an urgent need to stabilize the environment and increase productivity in
order to meet the burgeoning demands.What is MIS about?
MIS is an interinstitutional and multidisciplinary consortium devoted to the
generation, adaptation, and dissemination of technological options to improve management
of fragile soils of the Central American region.
MIS participants seek to overcome water and nutrient management constraints through
participatory approaches to identify environmental and socioecomic driving forces behind
land use and develop solutions.
As general principal, MIS acts through strategic alliances
between research, development, and technology transfer institutions on the following
bases:
- Effective coordination among members
- Participation and transparency in project decision-making and execution
- Complementarity with activities carried out by other regional initiatives
- Effective integration between research and development.
Highlights of Progress
Decision support tools for improved SWNM developed and evaluated in different
agro-ecological zones
- Nutrient constraints identified using the nutrient strip methodology
- Action plans developed by trained partners in Central America and Africa for the use of
soil quality indicators guide
- A spatially linked soil database was developed for Honduras in order to assist decision
makers in identifying resource problems and target solutions.
Improved technologies for increased production based on efficient use of water and
nutrients adapted and applied by land users
Impacts of improved practices on production, the environment and socioeconomic
conditions assessed
- The profitability of soil conservation practices in Honduras documented
- The MSEC decision
support system to evaluate economical impact of soil conservation tested at the field
level in Nicaragua.
Improved information and communication exchange framework established and materials
produced for stakeholders
- Partners visited the reference sites.
Stakeholders capacity for better SWNM enhanced
- One MIS partner trained by MSEC on the use of PCARES model to simulate soil losses at
the watershed level.
Efficient program management, communication, monitoring, and evaluation
- Two members of the Executive Committee of MIS attended the SWNM steering committee
meeting and the INRM meeting of the CGIAR in Cali, Colombia
- MIS members developed 11 joint proposals during the last planning meeting in Estelí,
Nicaragua.
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