Ch’orti ’peasants in Guatemala mitigate dry corridor

Hundreds of Ch'orti Mayan peasants in eastern Guatemala have mitigated the effects of climate change in their communities through sustainable harvesting techniques, food security, and family economy with an agricultural research project called 'Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS)'. The project, led by the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), has benefited 175 families in at least seven communities since 2019. The families have learned and implemented 13 agricultural practices, such as vegetable gardens with drip irrigation, rainwater harvesting, and crop rotation, with the help of the Ch'orti 'Regional Peasant Association (Asorech). These practices have been tested and improved from similar spaces in other countries, with potential for income generation through the sale of crops and fish in the department of Chiquimula and Guatemala City. The project is part of a strategic collaboration of 15 research centers, making it the most inclusive to date in addressing the interactions between climate change, food security, the livelihoods of the rural population, and environmental management.