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 brings 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 focuses on building transparent and equitable business relationships between transnational corporations and 3000 small-scale producers in Guatemala’s highlands. Through this engagement, the farmers expect to increase productivity, gain access to stable markets, diversify production, and increase participation and leadership of women.
“This project is about supply chain engagement, relationship building, developing and creating a model we can replicate. This work is about financial and social stability but it is also about feeding the world. We will take the principles of learning and apply them someplace else.”
– Craig Watson, SYSCO Corporation
The project has reached 11 highland communities with:
- 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 d[email protected]
Project Partners:
