Climate change is destroying the harvests of hundreds of thousands of small farmers, fuelling a humanitarian crisis: in Guatemala, one child in two suffers from chronic malnutrition, the highest rate in Latin America and the Caribbean. More than four million people in the country lack adequate food, mainly affecting the indigenous Mayan communities who are the custodians of the corn crop.
This story takes us through villages in the “Dry corridor”, where chronic malnutrition rates reach 80% of the population. My intention with this series was to delve into the day-to-day reality of people living in a place where food is scarce, and to try to understand the roots of the problem and its repercussions.
The region has suffered a prolonged six-year drought, leaving the land impoverished and vulnerable to extreme weather phenomena such as storms, floods and heat waves. Hurricanes Eta and Iota in 2020 destroyed 700,000 hectares of crops and displaced 339,000 people. On the other hand, malnutrition also stems from structural inequalities in the country: villages without water, electricity or roads, with weak health and education systems. Malnutrition is also synonymous with inequality and neglect on the part of the state.
The repercussions are long-term. Children suffering from chronic malnutrition suffer irreversible physical and cognitive limitations from the age of two, hence the nickname “silent killer” for this disease. This project, developed over three years, seeks to make this reality visible and to show how climate change and socio-economic conditions are fuelling migration, causing thousands of people to flee northwards to escape poverty and hunger.
Israel a father of nine carries a sack of corn on his shoulders as he returns to his home in the village of El Sauce Chiquimula Over the past years he has experienced near-total crop losses due to the impact of climate change in Guatemala s Dry Corridor region
Dora Su chite and her daughter Tomasa from the Chorti Mayan community in Chiquimula husk corn to prepare tortillas the staple food of Guatemala
Mari a Estefani a a 19-year-old suffers from anemia and faces difficulties in breastfeeding her 11-month-old child They live with her parents and eight siblings in a house in the village of El Sauce Chiquimula located in the Guatemalan Dry Corridor
A baby sleeps on the floor of a house in the coffee-growing region of San Antonio Huista Huehuetenango His parents have come in search of work as seasonal harvesters to cope with the losses of their corn crops in their hometown of San Miguel Acata n
Three families of seasonal workers have breakfast on the porch of the wooden bunkhouse where they reside for months on the coffee plantation located in San Antonio Huista Huehuetenango
Minga and her husband on their way to San Miguel Acata n hospital after more than 24 hours of labor at home with the assistance of a Mayan traditional midwife When they realized that Minga s life was in danger they raised the alarm and a community member transported them to the hospital
A worker ventures into the sugar cane plantation wearing protective clothing for the application of pesticides herbicides
Daniel Fe lix Juan rests on a bench inside a house in San Miguel Acata n He suffers from high fevers and waits for daybreak to go to the hospital for treatment
A small farmer from the village of Minas Abajo applies the traditional slash-and-burn technique which involves burning the land with the belief that the ashes fertilize the soil However agronomists have confirmed that this practice not only does not help but also has a negative impact worsening soil quality and drying up water sources
Marcos Alexander a 9-year-old boy carries firewood on his way home in the village of Minas Arriba located in San Antonio Huista He had to leave school in order to work Next year he will travel with his father to the coffee plantations to work as a seasonal laborer during the harvest aiming to support his family
Two twin girls from the village of La Ceiba Talquetzal Chiquimula have been suffering from chronic malnutrition since birth This has had consequences on their physical and intellectual growth After the age of two the damages caused by malnutrition are irreversible
The dream house of the Su chite family has been built thanks to their eldest son At the age of 14 he embarked on a journey on foot and by bus through Guatemala and Mexico until crossing the U S border illegally Twenty years later he has managed to improve the life of his family and has established a business selling chickens to be able to return to his homeland
