A Mayan Farming Technique to Fight Guatemala's Food Insecurity [View all]

The K'uxu'rum system improves crop yields and enables farmers to adapt to climate extremes

by Isabella Rolz
August 8, 2024

Celia Ramírez and her tight-knit Mayan Chortí family rise with the sun every day in Guatemala's Dry Corridor to work the land together, planting rows of golden maize and crimson-speckled beans. El Niño, however, caused droughts to last longer than expected in 2023, deepening the persistent food crisis this region faces.

Being one of the 7 million people living in the Dry Corridor is challenging. This region, which encompasses 10% of the Central American country's territory, is particularly vulnerable to climate change. Rainfall patterns are erratic, characterized by prolonged droughts followed by intense bursts of rain, making life difficult for the majority of households that depend on their crops for survival.

Although these farmers rely on traditional harvesting methods that are more resistant to dry conditions, the increasing severity of droughts due to climate change threatens their way of life. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) announced that more than 73% of households experience food insecurity in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, which lie within the Central American Dry Corridor.

Jorge Pernillo, a Guatemalan nutritionist, says that the situation has not deteriorated as much as it could have, however, "thanks to emergency projects carried out by some UN agencies and NGOs." One, implemented in 2023 by the FAO through a package of Anticipatory Actions, included the K'uxu'rum cultivation technique ("My humid land" in the Mayan Chorti' language).

More:
https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/mayan-farming-technique-fight-guatemalas-food-insecurity