STORY: International aid programs are aiming to train people on sustainable farming practices in Guatemala in an effort to combat hunger and malnutrition.
Guatemala straddles a region known as the Central American Dry Corridor.
Over the past decade, droughts have been longer and more severe… and extreme weather like hurricanes have caused widespread damage.
It’s put families living in the region in vulnerable situations and unable to properly feed their children.
Tania Goossens is a representative with the World Food Programme, or WFP.
She says the training has led to some improvements and that the program is an excellent model for countries facing climate change challenges.
According to UNICEF data, Guatemala’s rate of stunting is consistently one of the highest in Latin America.
With 44 percent of children falling outside of the normal height-for-age range in 2022.
Lilian Ramos is a fish producer at a town in the Dry Corridor.
“Before we didn’t know what fish farming was. There was a lot of malnutrition here, but then the program came and we got quite involved. We started with a small well and we saw how we grew little by little.”
The World Food Programme training emphasizes the use of innovation and anticipatory actions to minimize damage to crops and food sources.
