2022 Progress Snapshot Feature Story – Guatemala

All his life, 21-year-old Indigenous farmer Iddy Cinto and his father worked together to cultivate their farm in the Western Highlands of Guatemala. Despite food insecurity and economic hardships, Iddy was confident that agriculture improves the well-being of families like his.

And he had good reason to feel this way. Guatemala has tremendous potential for expanding its agricultural production, creating economic growth and alleviating poverty. Young farmers like Iddy are critical to this transformation.

Feed the Future helped farmers, including youth like Iddy Cinto, apply improved farming practices to their lands. Producers in Feed the Future programs employed improved management practices or technologies on more than 5.6 million hectares of cropland/cultivated pasture in the last year.

Through Feed the Future, 25,000 small-scale farmers are improving their skills through training and accessing modern agricultural technologies. This includes introducing Indigenous young people to agricultural innovations, which has resulted in improved livelihoods for more than 7,300 young farmers.

A USAID event hosted in Iddy’s community connected his family to training opportunities to improve their technical skills regarding irrigation, environmentally friendly fertilizers and hygienic practices. Iddy and his father noticed the improvements that come with using biological products to control pests and diseases and improve soil nutrition.

On their farm, they increased their tomato yield from 8,000 pounds to 15,000 pounds, a value of $3,900. With the extra income, they improved the family’s quality of life and invested
in their farm.

Iddy’s experiences and perseverance have made him a role model for other people in his community. At the time of publishing this report, Iddy recently passed away after a battle
with cancer. His family carries on his legacy by continuing to empower the community through agriculture.