Climate Risks in Food for Peace Geographies: Guatemala

Guatemala has the fourth highest rate of chronic malnutrition in the world and the highest rate in Latin America and the Caribbean. Indigenous populations face higher rates of malnutrition and food insecurity. Within indigenous areas such as the Western Highlands, nearly 70 percent of the population is chronically malnourished. Poverty and limited opportunities for income generation, high staple food prices, limited access to land, inadequate hygiene, insufficient child stimulus and care, and inequality and exclusion drive chronic malnutrition and food insecurity. Recurrent drought—particularly within the Dry Corridor—and land degradation further limit agricultural productivity. Projected changes in climate—including more frequent and intense drought, more variable rainfall, rising temperatures, more intense heat waves, and increased incidence of disaster events such as landslides and flooding—are expected to further aggravate food insecurity.

This profile provides an overview of climate risks to key sectors that impact food security in Guatemala: agriculture (including crop production, livestock, invasive species, pesticide use and storage, and food processing and storage); human health (including nutrition; water, sanitation and hygiene or WASH; and health services); and sensitive ecosystems. The document describes historical trends and projected near-term changes in climate, livelihood zones in FFP geographies, climate risks to the key food security-related sectors within the FFP geographies, and potential adaptation measures for managing these risks.