GENEVA, SWITZERLAND — A serious food crisis is threatening Guatemala. Change of weather has destroyed the field crops, and stored food from last season is about to finish. Members of ACT International Guatemala Forum are planning projects to address climatic-based crises such as the current food crisis, including supporting sustainable livelihoods, disaster risk reduction and resilience of communities.
The food crisis started in May which is a seasonal food shortage period. Then during the first and second sow periods the field crops were damaged due to heavy rain in the South and lack of raining in the West and East. According to the National Secretary of Food Security and Nutrition (SESAN) 38 communities are at very high risk and 651 communities at high risk in the "dry corridor" in the border with Honduras and El Salvador (Baja Verapaz, Chiquimula, El Progreso, Jalapa, Jutiapa, Santa Rosa and Zacapa). It is estimated that 54,564 families, or 327 000 people, are in risk of hunger and malnutrition. However this risk may also affect the departments in the Western highlands with similar or even worst conditions than the dry corridor.
The government declared on August 10 "State of Public Calamity", to facilitate the process of humanitarian relief in the most affected areas. Information from the Humanitarian Network (formed by UN organizations with humanitarian mandate and international humanitarian NGO with presence in the country) indicates that the worst part of the crisis may go from January to August 2010. The impacts of El Niño may go beyond April 2010 according to information from FAO.
ACT Guatemala Response
ACT Guatemala declared the alert on September 28th. NCA allocated resources to their local partner organization Lutheran Church of Guatemala (ILUGUA) for a total of USD 13,170.73 to provide food aid for 15 days to affected families in 6 communities of Zacapa that lost their crops. Christian Aid and DCA allocated resources to their local partners Bethania Dispensary, CPDL, CODEFEM and ADINT respectively, to conduct a food insecurity evaluation in their areas of intervention.
The food insecurity survey was conducted between October 5th and October 23rd comprising of about 1000 households and 100 resource persons, from municipal authorities, Agriculture and Health ministries, and NGOs. Based on preliminary conclusions, the areas of intervention can be prioritised according to the level of impact and vulnerability as follow:
Zone 1: Eastern municipalities in the "Dry Corridor": Jocotan, Camotan and Zacapa in the departments of Chiquimula and Zacapa respectively. CA's partner Bethania, NCA's partner ILUGUA and CIEDEG work in Zone 1. These areas have the highest levels of poverty and extreme poverty in Guatemala according to Human Development Index reports.
Zone 2: Western municipalities in the Highlands: San Andres Semetabaj, Nahualá and San Juan La Laguna in Sololá, Santa Maria Chiquimula in Totonicapán, Concepcion Tutuapa in San Marcos and Tectitan in Huehuetenango. PAMI, LEMA, CORCI (ICCO's partners) work in Sololá, CIEDEG work in Totonicapán, ADINT (DCA's partner) work in San Marcos and CODEFEM (CA's partner) work in Huehuetenango. Zone 2 was severely affected in 2005 by Hurricane Stan.
Zone 3: South Coast municipalities: Taxisco, San Jose, Champerico and Retalhuleu in the departments of Santa Rosa, Escuintla and Retalhuleu, respectively. CPDL (CA's partner) is working in those areas.
Zone 4: Northern municipalities in the department of Petén: Sayaxché in Petén, where FUNDEBASE (LWF's partner) is working. Zone 4 is recurrently affected by floods and forest fires, but has the lower levels of inhabitant per square kilometre in the country.
Zones 1 and 2 have been affected by reduction of raining patterns during 2009. Zone 3 was affected in 2008 by Tropical Depression 16. The high level of precipitation in early June provoked the lost of crops and then the low level of precipitation during the rest of the year caused reduction of production of basic grains in Zone 3.
Another conclusion indicates that in the four zones the families still have food provisions from this year's harvest, mainly corn and beans. Most of other alternative crops have had low levels of production this year. However it is estimated that the provisions will be over by the end of November in Zone 1, by the end of December in Zone 2 and 3, and by January 2010 in Zone 4.
The surveys indicate that the ingestion of nutrients has been reduced as a result of the climate variations and reduction in cropping. Also indicate that access to water for human consumption has been also reduced.
Preparation of appeal and advocacy
The evaluation will allow ACT Guatemala to undertake mid and long term actions to prevent future crisis similar to the current. The appeal will be submitted by the end of the third week of November.
Christian Aid and Norwegian Church Aid have been negotiating a joint project to be implemented in the Dry Corridor to address climatic based crisis such as the current food crisis, including supporting sustainable livelihoods, disaster risk reduction and resilience of communities in Chiquimula and Zacapa.
ACT Guatemala as member of the Humanitarian Network has been participating in a series of meetings with representatives from OCHA, WFP, FAO, PAHO/WHO, UNICEF, Action against Hunger, Oxfam, Save the Children, World Vision, Red Cross and others in order to conclude a series of evaluations and implement coordinated response actions. ACT Guatemala has been represented by HEKS in the Humanitarian Network.
ACT Guatemala has had two meetings to advocate the Guatemalan Secretariat for Food Security and Nutrition (SESAN). ACT members have provided information on what the Humanitarian Network, ACT Guatemala and other actors were doing to respond to the food crisis. As a result a communication and coordination mechanisms was established between SESAN and the Humanitarian Network, and there was an agreement that regular meetings should take place between SESAN and ACT Guatemala, represented by Christian Aid. We have also provided information to SESAN regarding the preliminary conclusions of ACT Guatemala surveys, and an analysis of the governmental actions observed in the field.
