Guatemalan women reinvent agrobusiness

Doris* feels strongly about women being able to earn a living.

She is president of one of the savings and credit groups in Chamaiq — a village in the state of Alta Verapaz in north-central Guatemala — and one of 3,000 participants in WFP’s Indigenous Women’s Economic Empowerment Project. 

"Not only men can work, not only they can earn money," Doris explains. "We women can also work and earn our money, which is why I’m happy and also taking part in this initiative… I want to keep learning."

Beyond improving agricultural production, the WFP project also widens indigenous women's access to labor markets through enhanced food security for their families and communities making strides towards lifting people out of vulnerable situations, including hunger and poverty.

Guatemala is facing serious challenges in achieving Zero Hunger by 2030 (Sustainable Development Goal 2). Almost half the population is unable to afford basic food items. This half overlaps with indigenous communities, which comprise 46% of Guatemalan society. Indeed, entrenched inequality makes Guatemala one of the most unequal countries in Latin America.  

Even though it is an upper-middle income country, with easy access to modern amenities and markets, Guatemala has the highest rate of chronic malnutrition in children under five years old across Latin America: 1 in every 2 children suffers chronic malnutrition.

Around one-third of Guatemala’s population works in agriculture, which is the country’s largest source of employment. Meanwhile, the average wage in agriculture is barely above the monthly cost of basic food supplies. Even though many Guatemalans rely on agriculture for their livelihoods, the wages are not enough to feed a family, which may explain such high rates of malnutrition in the country.

Adding to that, Guatemala is among the ten most vulnerable countries to climate change and natural disasters, which increases the risk of food insecurity by at least tenfold yearly. Women, the elderly, indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, and people who live in rural areas are particularly exposed to natural disasters and starvation.

“We have shown the community that women can succeed beyond housewives’ daily routines”, explains Zoila.

Zoila* never learned how to read or write. She spent her youth doing housework as the eldest child in a family, without the opportunity to attend school. At the age of 15, she was married off against her will. Now Zoila is the leader of a women’s group under IFAD’s Joint Programme on Accelerating Progress towards the Economic Empowerment of Rural Women (JPRWEE) — a global initiative jointly implemented by IFAD with FAO, UN Women and WFP.

The outcomes of these two projects have demonstrated the value of having women-led programming. In Guatemala, women are frequently caregivers of children, the elderly, and those unable to work; therefore, assisting women in accessing the labor market benefits the entire society.

“Now that I have money, I feel secure because I can make use of it in a conscious way — mainly to purchase food and pay for the education of my three children”, adds Aurelia*, a participant in the IFAD programme. 

The UN Resident Coordinator in Guatemala, Miguel Barreto, further echoes: 

“Guatemalan women are vigorous. They have the stamina to keep their families going and shape their own communities along the way. Agribusiness and community development in Guatemala are true reflections of the 2030 Agenda, and they are both women-led.”

The UN in Guatemala supports President Alejandro Giammattei’s programme focused on strengthening the country's financial architecture to finance the Great National Crusade for Nutrition (Gran Cruzada Nacional por la Nutrición, in Spanish). It aims to find durable solutions to the endemic of malnutrition.

Government entities (at national and municipal levels), civil society, the private sector, and members of academia were brought together around food security and nutrition: Two years ago, the late Resident Coordinator in Guatemala worked to unite the different sectors and kick-started the Joint SDG Fund programme, which made a $1 million contribution to the Great National Crusade for Nutrition.

"It is the first project that we launched in Guatemala as part of this Fund that aims to support national efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals holistically," the former Resident Coordinator affirmed.

Since then, there has been impactful UN support for women-led businesses and gender-empowerment, all aligned with SDG 2: No Hunger. 

For example, Sweden and the UN team in Guatemala joined forces to launch a programme that focuses on strengthening the resilience of households in the Dry Corridor of Guatemala to live better and increase capacities for water and food security. It focuses on fostering long-term resilience in communities at risk of climate change-related events. The project benefits more than 7,000 families by linking proper disaster risk management, inclusive economic growth, and women-led community development in 59 indigenous communities — including Ch’orti’, Poqoman and Mestiza — in the Chiquimula state, southeastern Guatemala.

Empowering women, empowering communities 

Significant inequality exists between men’s and women’s participation in the labor force in Guatemala: 85.6% of men work in different types of occupations, compared to 43.3% of women.

Initiatives that incorporate gender and community-based approaches to alleviate the perils of hunger — SDG 2 linked with gender equality (SDG 5) and inclusive rural economic development — not only help improve women’s access to employment opportunities and ability to secure sources of nutritious food, but also highlight how women's empowerment and leadership are critical to this process.

The government of Guatemala — along with IFAD, FAO, WFP, UN Women, UNICEF, and UNDP — have collaborated on such joint programs for women's economic empowerment. The programs work with women to strengthen their technical knowledge and skills, enhance agricultural productivity and boost market access. 

Empowering rural women also increases farming families' food security and livelihoods, improves their nutrition and ensures sustainable food security. As the international day against poverty approaches, these actions are more important than ever. 

* Last names omitted to preserve confidentiality.

This piece was written by Peride Blind, Strategic Planning Officer and RCO Team Leader, UN Guatemala. Edited by the UN Development Coordination Office.

To learn more about the UN's work in Guatemala, please visit: Guatemala. UN.org.