Is Shrimp Farming Threatening the National Security of Honduras?

            Honduras is the second poorest country in the world, where 66.2% of its people live in poverty (Ceciskids). Coupled with the worst gang epidemic on the planet, Honduras experiences an extreme level of intrastate violence. This high level of national failure has resulted from the nation’s lack of effective government regulation, stable economy, or sustainable environmental practices. Environmentalists have especially criticized the last point, Honduras’s environmental practices, which they have linked to the region’s high level of violence. In particular, the expansion of Honduras’s industrial shrimp farming, which is their third highest source of foreign exchange, has resulted in an increase in conflict. Industrial shrimp farming, which poses an imminent threat to the region, should be considered an issue of national security.

Numerous organizations have dedicated themselves to improving conditions in Honduras. I have developed a personal stake in this goal by joining one of these organizations, Students Helping Honduras, which sends thousands of volunteers to build schools in Honduras annually. This winter, I will be traveling to Honduras with Students Helping Honduras to assist in building a middle school in the village of La Democracia. Although the mission of Students Helping Honduras does not directly relate to the environment, it supports the overall goal of repairing the nation. However, this goal cannot be accomplished without considering the environment. The numerous problems suffered by Honduras work like an interconnected web in that they all affect one another and therefore must all be resolved together. Insuring that all of the children living in Honduras are given the opportunity to have successful futures cannot be accomplished by only providing them with schools and education. Education is a promising step, which Students Helping Honduras successfully provides; however, more changes in the country need to be accomplished on a wider scale in order to repair the nation. I recognize that significant strides must be made in the nation’s economy and its society, which are both highly related to the environment. Shrimp farming depicts the relationship between these three sectors of the economy, environment, and society, and illustrates how problems in one area spread to the others, resulting in overall turbulence for the control.

Shrimp farming, which is highly related to the environment, is essential to the economy of Honduras and also affects the level of conflict in society. In Stonich and Vandergeest’s chapter, “Violence, Environment, and Industrial Shrimp Farming,” they describe how violent confrontations have arisen as a result of shrimp farming. They accentuate the linkage between violence and the environment, resulting from the development of industrial shrimp farming.

Stonich and Vandergeest emphasize that Southern Honduras is a “critically endangered region,” according the United Nations. Shrimp farming in Honduras occurs along the Gulf of Fonseca, which is one of the poorest and environmentally damaged areas in the nation. This body of water serves as an essential ecosystem, but is very vulnerable to pollution and siltation. Shrimp farming has caused several negative consequences on the environment including the degradation of agricultural land and surface water. Simultaneously, many negative social consequences have occurred as a result of shrimp farming, such as social dislocation, conflict over property rights, and displacement of local farmers and fishermen. Prior to Honduras’ shrimp boom, natives were allowed access to the wetlands to acquire resources themselves. However, when shrimp farming’s proliferated and shrimp farming interest obtained control over the region, these locals’ access became limited. As a result of limited access and these social consequences, conflict has ensued between shrimp farming interests on one side and local farmers, natives, and environmentalists on the other end. Most of the conflict occurs between well-organized peasant organizations and large shrimping enterprises. The latter has shown resistance to shrimp farming through noncompliance, protest marches, and violent opposition, such as destroying canals and burning buildings.

As a result of environmental and social harm caused by shrimp farming, the industry experiences economic harm. Although shrimp is a major export for Honduras, the lack of sustainability in the industry from exploitation and environmental damage is risking its longevity. Similarly, the high level of conflict in the region that has regulated from the government’s lack of regulation over the resource of shrimp has also endangered the future of the industry. Creating stable social, economic, and environmental structures simultaneously is necessary in order to alleviate the severe problems existing in Honduras. Therefore, environmental issues, such as the regulation of shrimp farming, should be considered an issue of national security. In order for a county to succeed and for their conflict to be reduced, their environment must be protected.

Additional Source: http://ceciskids.org/our-story/