The Government of Honduras piloted and adopted a major new data platform, “Agua de Honduras” that provides data on hydrology, vegetative cover, soil properties, along with future climate scenarios. Implemented by the Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT) and contributing to the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE), the platform has been aiding water management decisions, including being used 150 times to identify rainwater harvesting sites and influencing at least one local land investment decision.

Con el fin de determinar bajo condiciones de campo la cantidad de agua lluvia que se mueve verticalmente a varias profundidades en la Altillanura, se seleccionó un suelo Tipyc Haplustox isohipertérmico caolinítico del municipio de Puerto López (Meta), trabajado durante varios años (2,4 y 6 pases de rastra por año para un total acumulado al momento de las pruebas de 8, 16 y 32 pases) y diferentes condiciones de manejo (Sabana nativa; Arroz (con 8 y 16 pases de rastra) y Pasto (B. Dictyoneura con 16 y 32 pases de rastra)). Se evaluó in situ la cantidad de agua lluvia que pasa a través de diferentes profundidades del suelo utilizando microlisímetros de embudo instalados a las siguientes profundidades: 3 cm, 5 cm, 10 cm, 15 cm, 20 cm y 30 cm. A cada profundidad se midió el volumen de agua que pasaba por cada lámina de suelo y se determinaron los componentes solubles (NO3, Ca, K, P), pH y Conductividad eléctrica. Adicionalmente se determinó la cantidad de lluvia semanal caída en el área de trabajo, para establecer la relación existente entre la precipitación y la cantidad de agua que pasaba por cada profundidad.
Se encontró una alta variabilidad en la forma en
que el agua se mueve dentro del suelo, en lo cual se
destaca el flujo preferencial; también, que la cantidad
de componentes solubles que se mueve de una profun
didad a otra en función de Ja cantidad de agua que
pasa. Para los suelos de la Altillanura se encontró que
los pastos permiten una mejor distribución de agua y
nutrientes puesto que ellos crean y mantienen macro-
poros mejorando el estado físico del suelo. = With the purpose of determining under field conditions the quantity of rainfall that moves vertically to several depths in the Altillanura, a soil Tipyc Haplustox isohipertérmico caolinítico of the municipality of Port López (Meta) was selected, worked during several years (2, 4 and 6 trail passes per year for a total accumulated to the moment of the tests of 8, 16 and 32 passes) and different handling conditions (native Savanna; Rice (with 8 and 16 trail passes) and I Pasture (B. Dictyoneura with 16 and 32 trail passes)). It was evaluated in situ the quantity of rain that passes through different depths of the soil using funnel microlisímetros installed to the following depths: 3 cm, 5 cm, 10 cm, 15 cm, 20 cm and 30 cm. To each depth the volume of water was measured that it went by each soil sheet and the soluble components were determined (NO3, Ca, K, P), pH and electric Conductivity. Additionally the quantity of rain weekly fall was determined in the work area, to establish the existent relationship between the precipitation and the quantity of water that it went by each depth.
There was high variability in the form which water moves inside the soil, in which is affected by the preferential flow. The quantity of soluble components that move from a layer to another being function of the quantity of water that passes. For the soils of the Altillanura it was found that the grasses allow a better distribution of water and nutritious since they create and they maintain macroporos improving the physical state of the soil | IG Valenzuela, G Perea, Edgar Amézquita Collazos, 'Evaluación del agua gravitacional a través del perfil de un suelo de la altillanura', Suelos Ecuatoriales, 2014

For a long time it has been accepted that tropical soils, specially oxisols, have excellent physical characteristics, that they are permeables, with high infiltration and drainage rates. However, we have to accept today that tropical soils are very susceptible to degradation by human intervention, especially by the use of intensive and tillage and by rainfall erosivity. Knowing by experience, that soils of the Eastern plains of Colombia are very susceptible to physical degradation, a study to identify the properties that are more vulnerable to use of machinery has been started to try to establish some indicators of degradation. One of the parameters that reflect the actual condition of soils and that is sensible to changes is infiltration, which is really low in the soils that have been studied even under native savanna. This means that they have a low rainfall acceptance capacity and that could behave as "dry soils" under wet clime. The values of infiltration rate found varied from 3 to 15 mm/h for different conditions of use and management systems when it was determined even at different depths | Edgar Amézquita Collazos, H Londoño, 'La infiltración del agua en algunos suelos de los Llanos Orientales y sus implicaciones en su uso y manejo', Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), 2016