Drought and Malnutrition in Guatemala

SAN AGUSTIN ACASAGUASTLAN, Guatemala (Reuters) – Drought and crop failure are a pervasive threat in Guatemala where hunger and malnutrition run rampant, particularly in rural areas. This dire situation is prompting international aid programs to intervene.

Workers from the U.N.’s World Food Program are training people in Guatemala’s rural countryside on sustainable farming practices to help combat malnutrition.

Guatemala lies within the Central American Dry Corridor, which has experienced longer and more severe droughts and extreme weather events like hurricanes over the past decade. This has left families, especially small farmers and Indigenous peoples, vulnerable and unable to adequately feed their children.

UNICEF data shows that Guatemala has one of the highest rates of stunting in Latin America. In 2022, 44 percent of children in Guatemala fell outside the normal height-for-age range.

“Before we didn’t know what fish farming was. There was a lot of malnutrition here,” shared Lilian Ramos, a fish producer in Tecuiz community, located within the Dry Corridor. Her children accompany her to a pond as she nets fish.

“We started with a small well and we saw how we grew little by little,” Ramos added.

The World Food Program’s training emphasizes innovation and proactive measures to minimize damage to crops and food sources. This enables community farms to withstand challenging weather and continue production.

“We do see some improvements … it is an excellent model that, even in terms of permeation, is an example for other countries that are also facing challenges from climate change,” said Tania Goossens of the World Food Program in Guatemala.