The project “Improving Food Security and Resilience through Sustainable Agriculture in Rural Communities of the Dry Corridor in El Quiché, Guatemala” implemented by CARE Guatemala and funded by USAID/OFDA, seeks to reduce food insecurity by improving the resilience and livelihoods of small farmers, prioritizing the participation and empowerment of women in 21 rural communities in the municipalities of San Bartolome Jocotenango and San Pedro Jocopilas in the department of El Quiché, directly benefiting 6,000 people.

The intervention area is characterized by being exposed to multiple natural hazards, mainly drought, which causes higher rates of chronic and acute malnutrition than in any other of the areas traditionally affected by drought within Guatemala’s dry corridor.

The project seeks to reduce disaster risk for the poor, vulnerable and mainly indigenous population exposed to drought through three elements:

Identification and use of drought-adapted native seeds in close participation with women and men in the selected communities.
Improvement of local agricultural practices and techniques in order to increase yields and access to nutritious food for subsistence,
Creation of basic safety nets at the community level in order to make them more resilient to disasters.