Hurricane Mitch, the storm that devastated Central America in October 1998, blew and rained so hard it would have wreaked havoc anywhere. But even before the waters receded, it was apparent that Mitch’s deadly mudslides and floods were aggravated by poor farming methods. Indeed, early anecdotal evidence suggested land farmed in a more environmentally friendly manner had been more resistant to the deluge. Now, an extensive analysis of more than 1,700 agricultural plots across Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala appears to confirm those first impressions. It shows that with more effort to help peasant farmers adopt sustainable land management, Central America could better weather nature’s next test. The post-Mitch study was designed by Eric Holt-Giménez, a doctoral candidate at the University of California, Santa... [Log in to read more]