Dulce Nombre de Culmí (Olancho), June 18, 2025 – More than 100 livestock producers and farmers from Dulce Nombre de Culmí, in the department of Olancho, have completed their training through the Sustainable Livestock Field Schools under the MiBiósfera Project.

The graduation ceremony was led by representatives from the European Union, the Secretariat of Natural Resources and Environment (SERNA), the Institute for Forest Conservation (ICF), the Municipality of Dulce Nombre de Culmí, and Zamorano University.

This milestone is part of MiBiósfera (Integrated Management of the Río Plátano Biosphere), a project funded by the European Union since 2021 and scheduled to conclude in October 2025. Its main goal is to protect the Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve —a UNESCO World Heritage Site— and prevent the expansion of the agricultural frontier into its core zone, the heart of untouched tropical rainforest.

To achieve this, the project promotes more efficient and sustainable land use in already intervened agricultural areas, especially in municipalities bordering the core zone. One of its most effective strategies has been hands-on training through the participatory “learning by doing” methodology. With 17 cycles of Field Schools already completed, more than 500 individuals have received technical training —across 9 annual sessions— in key areas such as climate-smart production, animal welfare, innovative technologies, and sustainability.

Demonstration farms have served as community learning hubs, multiplying the impact among local producers. Beneficiaries expressed deep gratitude to the European Union and project partners, emphasizing that this is the first time a program has reached their communities with such close and practical support. As they put it: “We are not destroyers of the environment; we are also producers and protectors of nature.”

Through actions like these, the MiBiósfera Project proves that it is possible to produce without destroying, while empowering rural communities as key allies in the conservation of the Río Plátano Biosphere.