The Role and Importance of International Remittances for Farming Families in Southern Honduras and Northern Haiti

In recent decades, there has been a notable increase in the number of migrants and international remittances in Latin America. This dynamic has been particularly significant in Honduras and Haiti, where remittances currently represent more than 20% of their GDP, mainly coming from the diaspora in the United States. The aim of this article is to understand the role and importance of international remittances among farmers in southern Honduras and northern Haiti, analyzing how these financial transfers impact rural communities. To achieve this, various bibliographic, documentary, and secondary data sources were utilized, along with a questionnaire applied to 25 families residing in the rural areas of each country, selected through a non-probability sampling method. In southern Honduras, remittances have been an important source of income for agricultural families for over three decades, accounting for an average of 54% of their income, equivalent to $261 per month. In northern Haiti, remittances are also essential for farming families. Although they have been received more recently, they represent, on average, two-thirds of household income, amounting to $132.02 per month. These funds are used not only for basic needs, such as education and health, but also for improving agricultural activities. In this latter regard, families in both countries primarily invest in purchasing seeds, acquiring fertilizers, equipment and agricultural tools, acquiring animals, and paying for labor. In both cases, the surveyed families state that remittances have allowed them to expand their agricultural production and improve their living conditions, although they also reveal a high dependence on these external financial resources and concern about the process of depopulation and aging in rural areas.