WFP Executive Board sees first-hand the organization's life-changing work in Guatemala and Honduras
In these countries, WFP is bringing together investments in infrastructure, insurance and financial inclusion for farmers -particularly women-, connecting their produce to value-added food markets, anticipating extreme weather events and informing them in real time of changing seasonal patterns. This helps to protect vulnerable people against climate shocks, such as droughts and heavy rains that devastate corn and bean crops, the region’s staple grains.
“When we invest in integrated food and climate programmes, the game changes for smallholders. They become able to grow more and diversify the produce for their families, communities and nations,” said Lola Castro, WFP Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Dry Corridor -stretching across El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua - has been hard-hit by prolonged dry spells over the last 10 years, with the ongoing El Niño climatic phenomenon aggravating climatic conditions and limiting the capacity of farmers to get back on their feet and re-establish livelihoods amid further climatic uncertainty.
In this hotspot of the climate crisis, WFP is boosting community resilience by restoring land, building community assets, promoting education, improving nutrition and health, boosting incomes and creating jobs for women and young people.
In Guatemala, the delegation visited locations where WFP combines disaster risk insurance, anticipatory actions and last-mile climate services. Ms. Castro noted that “the interconnectedness of these activities, especially within an integrated resilience programme, serves as a transformative example for climate adaptation, effectively lessening humanitarian needs and tackling the mounting impacts of climate change on food security and nutrition”. Both the Government and the United Nations collaborate on the ground to diminish reoccurring reliance on aid, aiming to establish a more financially sustainable approach, which fosters increased self-reliance and resilience among beneficiary communities and institutions.
In Honduras, WFP and its Executive Board delegation visited the Genjpez aquaculture farm, located in a community affected by frequent climatic shocks that guarantees the food security of families, generating additional income, job opportunities and preventing migration. The fish produce is marketed in the community and surrounding towns, in addition to strengthening the School Feeding Programme of the Government of Honduras, which reaches 1.3 million children across the country with WFP’s support.
Through their encounters with the Guatemalan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Mario Búcaro and the Honduran Secretary of State in the Cabinet Office, H.E. Rodolfo Pastor de María y Campos, WFP underscored its commitment to support planning, budgeting and decision-making for Zero Hunger action.
Led by the President of WFP’s Executive Board, H.E. Mr. Artur Andrzej Pollok, the delegation was comprised of representatives from India, Ireland, Panama, Poland and Senegal.
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The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.
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