When the rains fail: Preparing for drought in Central America

Farmers across Central America’s Dry Corridor, including 73-year-old Anastacio Martínez Gómez in southwestern Honduras, are confronting increasingly unreliable rainfall that threatens their livelihoods. The region’s farming families depend on seasonal rains to grow crops, leaving them highly exposed when those rains fail. The article profiles how long-held local knowledge is being stretched beyond its limits as conditions shift. It matters because the Dry Corridor’s smallholders are a bellwether for how rural communities adapt to a more variable climate. What to watch next is whether farmers adopt drought-resistant practices and alternative water strategies, and whether outside support reaches them in time.