Nestled in the mountains of central Honduras, the "El Encanto" coffee farm is harvesting this year with half the harvesters it needs. In Costa Rica's Central Valley, the "Hersaca Tres Marías" farm faces a similar dilemma. The temporary workers they both depend on are among the thousands who have left central American shores in search of a better life elsewhere. 

"Many of our coffee fresheers now go to the United States, to other countries, for lack of opportunities" at home, farmer Selvin Márquez, 34, in Siguatepeque, about 90 kilometers away, told AFP. capital, Tegucigalpa. Coffee growers like Márquez are desperate, seeing the fruit of their labor and their income wither. Márquez planted five acres of coffee he now needs to harvest. But you only have 20 of the 40 collectors you need. 

One of them is José Samuel Hernández, 34, in the field with his wife Esly Mejía, 24, daughter Alexa, two, and sister-in-law Gleny, 20. Each hand counts, and even Alexa helps harvest some of the lower fruits while playing with a dusty teddy bear. The family cuts 182 kilos (402 pounds) in eight hours and receives the equivalent of $0.10 a kilo. 

An "insufficient" income, Hernández said, whose basic monthly expenses are $567 a month. But you have few options. As a security guard for the rest of the year, a job that earns $429 a month, he took the day off to join his family for coffee. 

Honduran authorities estimate that 1,000 of their 9.5 million citizens leave every day hoping to reach the United States for a chance to realize the "American dream." They seek to escape rampant poverty and violence in one of the world's top ten coffee-producing countries. About 250,000 hectares of coffee plantations are divided among more than 100,000 producers, mostly small producers. 

Source: Agrolink