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Success Story
A development alliance
poses a bold solution to
persistent rural poverty
Growing Quality Crops To Grow Progress
Photo: USAID/Guatemala/Sonia Dominguez
K’iche’ maya man from Sololá proudly
shows a sample of his snow pea harvest.
This is a fantastic example
of nonprofits, business and
government working with
local communities to make a
lasting difference.
The story of agricultural diversification—the change from growing only
basic grains for family consumption to growing a diverse group of crops
sold in national and international markets—is the story of thousands of
farmers in the Guatemalan Highlands that has increased incomes, jobs, and
opportunity, transforming hundreds of thousands of lives.
The Highlands cover seven of Guatemala’s 22 departments. They comprise
less than a fi fth of the country’s surface area, but include more than 60
percent of the country’s farms, most of which are very small, less than two
acres each.
Natural disasters, 36 years of civil war, mountainous terrain, and a long
history of social and political exclusion explain the poverty and low level of
public investment in the Highlands. These combined factors limit the ability
of farmers to produce anything other than subsistence corn, beans and
vegetables. After a decade of implementation of the Peace Accords that
were signed in 1996, investments in farm-to-market access roads, smallscale
irrigation systems, and vegetable processing facilities are allowing
farmers to begin to diversify.
In March 2008, USAID and implementing partners launched the Inclusive
Market Alliance for Rural Entrepreneurs. The alliance works to expand
and diversify the rural Guatemalan economy to promote the growth of an
entrepreneurial agricultural sector among underserved populations.
With alliance resources, small-scale rural farmers are becoming
entrepreneurial producers of premium products and turning cooperatives into
sustainable small businesses. The story of the Samajelá Taq Winaq Group
in Zaragoza, Chimaltenango is a good example. For more than 12 years
Samajelá produced only strawberries, corn and beans. Their labor force of
38 men and women came from family members of six founding families. Like
many rural groups, Samajelá has struggled to surpass many barriers; selling
to a formal market was one of them. They were forced to sell products to
middle-men who paid prices scarcely above production costs.
As part of the USAID-supported alliance, the Samajelá Group is receiving
training to improve farming and adopt post-harvest techniques, diversify from
traditional to market crops, increase productivity, and market harvests more
effectively. In addition to strawberries, corn and beans, they now produce
Iceberg, Romaine, green and purple endive lettuce, cauliflower and cabbage
that are attractive to the retail sector for internal consumption and export.
These new products are grown under the highest quality standards,
complying with criteria required to access international markets. Samajelá
has increased its work force by 166%—now 45% are women.. As the type
and volume of produce sold in formal markets grows, higher and more
consistent income leads to increases in education, health and food security
for the original six Samajelá farmer families as well as for surrounding
communities that provide the additional day labor work force.
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