Drivers of Growth in El Trifinio: Economic, Social and Environmental Development

Applying territorial approaches to rural development interventions is particularly important in countries such as El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala.

The kickoff workshop on “Drivers of Growth in El Trifinio” was held in Esquipulas on May 16, 2007, 32 representatives of 22 organizations participated. The main objective of the workshop was to involve from the beginning local actors and participating institutions, in the Drivers of Growth methodology application process, which was designed by the World Bank for Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. This methodology combines a series of qualitative analyses carried out at community level, to identify the main determinants of growth and poverty reduction in rural areas.

The asset-based approach is particularly useful to provide guidance on the allocation of public and private investments; it helps identify specific characteristics of assets and investments that generate the highest impact on family wellbeing. Also, the combination of geographic and household analysis sets a solid ground for applying a territorial approach to development interventions.

The implementation of this study was posible to the collaboration with the Trinational Sustainable Development Program of Lempa’s River Upper Basin (PTCARL, for its acronym in Spanish), which uses a bottom-up participatory approach. In this program, all annual investments are planned according to the demand identified at community level, which is also integrated into the Annual Operational Plan. The National Committees that approve the National Operational Plan are integrated by representatives of economic sectors, community leaders, and majors linked to the Program. A Steering Comité involving the participation of the three Ministries of Agriculture evaluates the results in all three countries on a regular basis. This Steering Committee seeks to ensure technical monitoring of the operation. The workshop included a survey of client demand and the validation of the objectives and methodology to be applied during the study.