By Tara Prakash
Jose and his wife, Aurelia, are farmers in Guatemala, working on the land their families have owned forever. The views are breathtaking, with endless fields covering lush mountains, and the air is clean and fresh. But, it’s a difficult life. Farming on a steep mountainside, Jose and Aurelia’s fields are often subject to harsh weather. Relying on a single cash crop (coffee), their income is precarious and shockingly low. They earn roughly two hundred dollars per year if they’re lucky. They live far from cities in an isolated and rural area with limited access to resources. Planting on poor mountainside land with unpredictable rainfall and no irrigation, they have no control over global coffee prices or the weather patterns that affect their crop growth and therefore, their livelihood.
Farmers are on the front line of climate change
Climate change has made Guatemalan farmers’ already difficult lives harder. Jose and Aurelia are farming the land the way their parents and grandparents did. However, with climate change, these antiquated ways are no longer sufficient. Soil erosion from too much rain or drought from not enough rain can be devastating for crop growth and yield. The practices Jose and Aurelia have been using don’t invigorate the soil, and with climate change, they, along with thousands of other farmers, need to adapt to survive in the long-term.
Jose and Aurelia are subject to hurricanes, floods, droughts, crop disease, erosion and a myriad of other environmental stresses. Warmer temperatures mean that hurricanes are carrying more water, so when they hit land, they dump more water onto the ground. Farmers lose their topsoil; the water simply tears out the land and the farmers’ crops with it. Scientists found that this soil erosion has been taking 92 tons per hectare of soil out of the mountainsides in years of heavy rain, destroying the harvest of farmers like Jose and Aurelia, according to a recent study done in 2011.
Another issue farmers face is that the rain patterns are more erratic due to climate change. Coffee crops are harvested annually and once the harvest begins, farmers typically husk and dry the coffee beans. However, with climate change, the timing of the rainy season is less reliable. It is harder to dry coffee with the unusual rain schedule, and if farmers like Jose and Aurelia are unable to harvest and sell 100 percent of their cash crop, it cuts all their income.
Sustainable farming practices increase income
Strategies for International Development (SID) is a D.C.-based non-profit organization that helps farmers in Guatemala adapt to climate change by implementing sustainable farming practices. SID supports farmers in addressing climate change challenges and adjusts their farming techniques to maximize income and thrive amidst the fluctuating environment. For example, the organization teaches farmers how to terrace their land to slow water runoff and prevent erosion. Terracing, a soil conservation technique, is applied to prevent rainfall runoff on sloping land from accumulating and creating erosion. SID also helps farmers plant shade trees to hold and conserve soil. By stabilizing the slopes, these trees hold the soil well, develop strong root systems in the ground, and most importantly, prevent soil erosion. The organization also helps farmers combat leaf rust, which is a fungal disease that kills coffee plants and can lead to significant yield loss.
SID’s successful programs allow farmers to learn by doing. SID provides technical assistance in communities that agree to adopt sustainable farming practices. Jose and Aurelia are part of one of these communities, where they receive hands-on help in learning these techniques. Aurelia participated in SID workshops focused solely on female farmers, where she learned how to be more involved in making business decisions by creating plans to develop complementary side businesses.
The workshops and hard work are paying off. The majority of women who participated in the programming created second businesses producing another cash crop. This helped families earn a greater income and when families participated in SID programs, families who adopted all of the practices were on average able to raise this income from $200s to as much as $700 per year.
These approaches and strategies can apply to poor farmers well beyond Guatemala; their farming practices model can be replicated to help impoverished and underprivileged farmers all over the world. With climate change only worsening, the organization’s work is critical in helping farmers adapt. SID is excited to expand their projects to work with coffee farmers in Uganda and soon, dairy farmers in Malawi, to help farmers like Jose and Aurelia thrive and adjust to the ever-changing factors of climate change. For more information and to learn more about SID, visit www.sidworld.org or call (202) 544-1115.
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