Honduras
Download Report
Download Report
- The below-average 2025 primera maize harvest replenished household food stocks and eased market dependence, and is expected to support poor households in minimally reducing their food consumption gaps through March 2026. However, the staggered primera harvest – the principal maize growing season – extended the lean season and delayed seasonal market price decreases. Severe weather volatility throughout 2025 stressed maize crop development and reduced yields, especially in the Dry Corridor. White maize wholesale prices are declining in December as the delayed primera harvest reaches markets. However, households are relying more on their own production, reducing their need to purchase maize for consumption. Despite this seasonal improvement following the primera harvest, white maize prices remain 20 to 30 percent above the five-year average and 2024 levels.
- Despite areas of isolated dryness, last month's adequate crop moisture levels indicate an average postrera harvest is expected, with improved vegetation conditions. Bean production continues to be supported by favorable humidity and temperature conditions. Despite this, wholesale red bean prices remain nearly 30 percent above 2024 and above the five-year average, driven by high production costs, price speculation, and weather variability earlier in the season. Elevated bean prices, one of the main staple foods for rural household diets, continue to strain household budgets and limit protein intake.
- Seasonal increases in rural labor and remittances sustain household economies at year-end. Coffee and sugar cane harvests from October to March increase employment in rural areas and are expected to support household income into early 2026. As international coffee prices remained high throughout 2025, production areas and the demand for rural labor also increased. However, fuel prices also increased throughout the year, rising to 0.96 USD per liter in November, sustaining pressure on transportation and food costs. Remittances remain a key income source for supporting rural economies and have not been impacted by new taxes effective as of January 2026.
- Following the end of the second rainy season, average rainfall is forecast for eastern Honduras through January 2026. However, erratic rainfall distribution and above-average temperatures through March will likely hinder crop development and reduce staple grain yields for smallholder farmers. Despite localized flooding in recent months, rainfall deficits persist in parts of eastern Honduras, underscoring recent rainfall variability countrywide. As food stocks are depleted and labor demand in commercial farms declines by April, poor households, particularly subsistence farmers in the Dry Corridor, are expected to face a heightened risk of food consumption gaps during the lean season.
- Political uncertainty persists following post-election events. Disputed results, fraud allegations, and calls for annulment have triggered localized protests, roadblocks, and intermittent clashes. Although protests currently remain localized, prolonged disruptions may raise transport costs, restrict household mobility and supply routes into major cities, shorten market operation hours under curfews, and depress informal incomes, leading to temporary price spikes in protest-affected areas. Poor households, especially in the Dry Corridor, remain at high risk of deteriorating food security conditions and exposure to seasonal events expected from April 2026. Any protracted political instability may further restrict market access and disrupt income-generating activities, compounding lean season constraints.
Recommended citation: FEWS NET. Honduras Key Message Update December 2025: Seasonal food production and rural employment contribute to improved food security, 2025.
This Key Message Update provides a high-level analysis of current acute food insecurity conditions and any changes to FEWS NET's latest projection of acute food insecurity outcomes in the specified geography. Learn more here.