Food security and agriculture in the Western Highlands of Guatemala

Abstract

Food security is a major challenge in Guatemala, one of the poorest countries in the world. Food insecurity is concentrated in the Western Highlands of Guatemala (WHG) where indigenous communities have been the main victims of social, political and economic marginalization. In this study we characterize the diversity of farming households in the WHG, identify the main sources of food for different types of farm households and assess their food security status through a simple, yet robust, potential food availability indicator. Based on a large and rich dataset of nearly 5000 farm households, our results show the diversity of farming systems in the region, dominated by maize and coffee production, as well as the large differences in their potential food availability. In our model, 52% of farm households in the WHG did not have the means to attain sufficient energy from their agricultural activities. In general, diversified maize-based, coffee-based and specialized coffee farm households had larger proportions of potentially food secure households with 60%, 83% and 74% food secure households, respectively. This contrasted with farm households specialized in maize production and resource-constrained households where there were a greater proportion of households were food insecure. The analytical framework presented here, combining a typology of farm households and their livelihoods with the analysis of their food security status, provides a useful approach for better targeting development interventions towards combating hunger, poverty and malnutrition.

Conservation and Use of Latin American Maize Diversity: Pillar of Nutrition Security and Cultural Heritage of Humanity

“…Flint corn of the race 'Cuban Flint' collected in Cuba (CIMMYTMA 2424), (4). Dent corn of the race 'Tuxpeño' collected in Mexico (CIMMYTMA 679), (5). Dent corn of the race 'Conico' collected in Mexico (CIMMYTMA 5645), (6).…”

“…Maize landraces, defined as "dynamic populations that have historical origin, distinct identity, lack formal crop improvement, and are often genetically diverse, locally adapted and associated with traditional farming systems" [3], are still widely cultivated in Latin America, mainly by small-holder and subsistence farmers [4]. The cultivation of landraces and open pollinated improved varieties (OPVs) is therefore tightly linked to food security of many Latin American countries, especially in low-and middle-income areas [5].…”

Towards more sustainable agricultural landscapes: Lessons from Northwestern Mexico and the Western Highlands of Guatemala

“…Declines in farm output and increasing malnutrition in the Highlands are also abetted by the shrinking size of average small farm operations. As inherited land is subdivided among children, family plots have fallen to under a quarter hectare in size across many Highland communities, meaning less available food per household ( DeYoung et al, 2017 ; Lopez-Ridaura et al, 2019 ). To meet basic needs, more than half of farm households in the Highlands must rely on other sources of food, off-farm income, or remittances from family members working in the US ( Lopez-Ridaura et al, 2019 ).…”

“…As inherited land is subdivided among children, family plots have fallen to under a quarter hectare in size across many Highland communities, meaning less available food per household ( DeYoung et al, 2017 ; Lopez-Ridaura et al, 2019 ). To meet basic needs, more than half of farm households in the Highlands must rely on other sources of food, off-farm income, or remittances from family members working in the US ( Lopez-Ridaura et al, 2019 ). As men move elsewhere, more of the farm work becomes the responsibility of women ( World Bank, 2019 ), who must attend to fields in addition to innumerous other duties to support their families.…”

Community-Based Interventions to Reduce Child Stunting in Rural Guatemala: A Quality Improvement Model

“…Guatemala has the highest stunting rate in Latin America and 6th highest worldwide, and the annual rate of reduction has averaged only 0.45% over the last 20 years, despite intensive investments and efforts [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]. Repeatedly, ambitious national political milestones to reduce stunting dramatically—such as the 24% reduction proposed by the National Secretary of Food and Nutritional Security for 2006–2016—have not been met [ 5 ].…”