Farmers Face Coronavirus Pandemic in Guatamala
Semilla Nueva, an NGO that supports farmers in Guatamala, reports that the local COVID-19 outbreak has begun, with 25 cases to date. The Guatemalan Government has taken swift measures to control the outbreak, with a curfew in place each day, restricting non-essential movement and gatherings – like those used to meet potential farmers and sell seed, which have been banned until further notice.
Amongst the frontline heroes in Guatamala are farmers, who show up each day – growing the food that seems to be ever more rapidly flying off the shelves. “In these times, we must ask ourselves – how will we show up for them?”
Maize accounts for some 50% of the rural diet: over 700,000 maize farmers cannot work from home. Their work is critical to feed the nation and their families. The majority of smallholder maize farmers live in poverty. With agriculture as the primary source of income for the majority of these families, they cannot afford to absorb productivity losses associated with global crises. These farmers and their communities are especially vulnerable to the economic losses we are witnessing all over the world. Living on less than one dollar a day, Guatemalan farmer families don’t have a safety net!
Semilla Nueva remains committed to putting farmers and their families first. “Especially as May marks the planting season that produces the majority of rural Guatemala’s food. We are following all necessary measures to ensure our staff remains safe while simultaneously exploring new and creative ways to support the farmers we serve. We’ve reoriented our marketing and farmer engagement strategy to mobile platforms – using phone, text message, and messaging services like Whatsapp. We’re complementing this with alternative outreach like banners, billboards, and radio.
“This year, more than ever before, our work is essential. In the coming months, we will continue to promote and sell our biofortified, iron, protein, and zinc enriched maize to smallholders farmers. Our goal for 2020 remains; we will work tirelessly to improve the incomes and nutrition of nearly 8,000 farmer families.”
Semilla Nueva sees their maize seed having the potential to:
- Shield against the extreme economic shock that Guatemala will face in the wake of COVID-19
- Improve food security amidst the crisis.
- Boost the immune systems of those who will need it the most(zinc being most critical to immune system functions and shown to decrease the mortality rate of respiratory illness and pneumonia in elderly populations and pneumonia in children.
In the darkest of times, we have the opportunity to be the best versions of ourselves. Every day and especially today, we are grateful to act in solidarity with Guatemala’s farmers. Thank you for being partners on this journey.
