With the support of the Government of Chile and the World Food Programme (WFP), the Secretariat for Food Security and Nutrition (SESAN) run the "Fund Against Hunger and Poverty" project, which was launched today in order to alleviate the Guatemala food crisis, informed the Guatemalan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The initiative, mediated by Chilean International Cooperation for Development Agency (AGCID), strengthens the current project "Contribution to the Reduction of Hunger and Poverty in Guatemala and Honduras," which seeks to advance the production and marketing capacity of small farmers in rural areas of several municipalities of Jalapa and Jutiapa (in the east). Carlos Martínez, Guatemalan Deputy Foreign Minister, said the project aims to contribute to the achievement of the United Nations sustainable development goals, through the promotion of technical cooperation. In addition to "share the Chilean experience in socioeconomic issues and the design, implementation and evaluation of public policies, especially in the use of locally bio-fortified seeds and the sustainable protection of livelihoods," he added.
The initiative will directly benefit 425 people in the most vulnerable areas, principally in support of actions to communicate and coordinate government-related entities responsible for food safety policy activities in Guatemala. It also allows organizations to encourage small farmers to diversify their crops and to bid higher content in food products to a market that will contribute to the development of the country. Martínez recalled that on November 10, during the second regular session of the Executive Board of the WFP, the budget increase of the program "Restoring Food Security and Livelihoods of vulnerable groups affected by the recurrent crisis in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua" unanimously approved, which shows that Guatemala successfully responds to actions performed donors.