Honduras Foundation for Agricultural Research

The Honduras Foundation for Agricultural Research (Fundación Hondureña de Investigación Agrícola or FHIA), (sometimes referred to as Honduras Foundation of Agricultural Research or Honduran Agricultural Research Foundation), is a not-for-profit research facility in San Pedro Sula, Cortés, Honduras which seeks to develop new disease-resistant breeds of banana and plantain, and carries out research on cacao and other plant species.

Researchers at FHIA developed the FHIA-01 Goldfinger banana, which is resistant to a plant disease which threatens the widely cultivated Cavendish banana.[1][2][3][4] The FHIA-03 Sweetheart banana is already cultivated in Cuba.[5]

It continues the banana research program which the United Fruit Company originally established in 1958.

FHIA is also a participant in the Integrated Watershed Resources Management Program in Honduras financed by USAID.[6]

Footnotes

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  1. ^ "A Banana Supreme: 'Goldfinger' is Born". The Palm Beach Post. May 16, 1993. p. 1E. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
  2. ^ International Development Research Centre (Canada): Breeding a Better Banana Archived 2005-12-28 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Top banana. (disease-resistant hybrid banana)". Discover. July 1994. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
  4. ^ FHIA-01 Goldfinger presentation[permanent dead link] by the FHIA
  5. ^ FHIA-03 Sweetheart presentation[permanent dead link] by the FHIA
  6. ^ "Press Release 2004-107. USAID Launches $23 Million Program in Honduras". USAID. December 1, 2004. Archived from the original on December 1, 2004. Retrieved 2008-06-09.

References

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