Guatemala Highland Value Chain Alliance
The Guatemalan highland areas have excellent potential for high-quality vegetable production, but families here have struggled with poverty for generations. Childhood malnutrition in the highlands is measured by the United Nations Children’s Fund at 70%.
The Guatemala Highland Value Chain Development Alliance brought together world-class expertise on sustainable agriculture, poverty alleviation and agribusiness with market demand and technical assistance to improve small-scale vegetable production and benefit rural communities in the region of Sololá, Guatemala.
This innovative partnership focused on building transparent and equitable business relationships between transnational corporations and 3,000 small-scale producers in Guatemala’s highlands. Through this engagement, the farmers increased productivity, gained access to stable markets, diversified production and increased participation and leadership of women.
– Craig Watson, SYSCO Corporation
Project Benefits
The project reached 11 highland communities, providing:
- Increased access to capital through a revolving fund
- Small business management skills training
- Training on agricultural best practices
- Soil testing and conservation programs
- Access to fertilizers and other inputs at a reduced cost
- Infrastructure and training for irrigation systems
- Training and infrastructure for compost facilities
- Greenhouses and tools for seedling production
- Vegetable processing and collection centers
- Additional jobs associated with vegetable processing, seedling production and compost generation.
For more information, contact Don Seville at [email protected]
Project Partners
