Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
map 1.1.Topographyof NorthCoastof Honduras
fication that took place in the late nineteenth century. On the other hand,
theevidenceindicatesthatlarge-scalefarmsdidnotdominateproduction
to the extent that they would in the twentieth century.
Descriptions of mainland cultivation practices during the 1890s are
rare, but there is little reason to believe that production processes varied
significantly from those described for the Bay Islands. Average reported
planting densities ranged from around 380 plants/hectare in La Ceiba to
nearly 880 plants/hectare in San Luis, where many of those farming less
than one hectare of land planted at densities greater than 1,200 matas
per hectare. La Ceiba's and neighboring El Porvenir's considerably larger
average farm size may partially explain their lower planting densities.
Monthlyyieldsalsofluctuatedwidely,fromamere23bunches/monthto
74 bunches/month. All told, the 1,000 odd farms produced approximately
272,500 bunches per month, or more than 3.3 million bunches in 1899,
a level of production comparable to that of Costa Rica.
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The amount of
growerprofitsgeneratedfrombananasalesishardtopindownwithpreci-
sion. In smallholder-dominated San Luis, potential monthly sales ranged
from $10 to $450, with an average of about $70/month. In El Porvenir,
five of the largest cultivators potentially grossed more than $1,000/month
fromfruitsales,andfifteenothersproducedbetween$250and$750worth
of bananas each month. These figures give an idea of the magnitude of
