Dubai – Qahwa World
The World Food Programme (WFP) has released a report highlighting the results of the Resilient Coffee-Growing Communities project in Guatemala’s Dry Corridor, designed to help farmers adapt to climate change and improve food security.
The report notes that the Dry Corridor is increasingly affected by unpredictable weather, with scorching, dry days that crack the soil and drain moisture from young plants, sometimes followed by sporadic nighttime rainfall. These extreme conditions have made it difficult for families to protect staple crops and ensure sufficient food.
The report highlights the experience of the Nájera Lorenzo family in Jalapa, who previously produced around 3,000 pounds of coffee per year—far below the level needed to meet basic household needs. With support from WFP, in partnership with the local organization Funcafé and funding from Starbucks Coffee Company, the family learned improved agricultural techniques, including shade management and early pest control, raising their coffee output to 13,000 pounds per cycle.
The project has also enabled families to establish home gardens. María Nájera, for example, manages a 430-square-foot garden where she grows Swiss chard, chipilín, radishes, and other vegetables. This garden has improved her family’s diet and generated additional income by selling surplus produce in local markets.
The report emphasizes that the project strengthens women’s roles in the community, supporting participation in savings and loan groups and empowering women to take on leadership roles. Farmers are also trained as climate monitors, collecting and interpreting local weather data to plan crop production more effectively and improve resource management, increasing resilience to climate variability.
According to WFP, the project has led to more diverse diets, increased household savings, better-organized and more productive plots, and the spread of knowledge to other families in the community, amplifying the project’s impact.
WFP stresses that this integrated approach improves food security and nutrition, strengthens the sustainability of coffee supply chains, and equips families to withstand climate shocks, contributing to Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger.
The report concludes: “Every step toward building the resilience of farming families contributes to a future where every family can access sufficient, nutritious food and live with dignity and hope.”
