KOICA Supports Small-Scale Farmers in Guatemala to Overcome COVID-19

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] KOICA announced on the 7th that it is conducting the ‘Local Agricultural Products Purchase Challenge’ in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP) to support small-scale farms affected by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

KOICA’s Guatemala office introduced the activities of ADIPAT, a women farmers' cooperative in Guatemala, through social media and delivered fresh honey produced this year to Laura Melo, WFP Guatemala Country Director; Francisco Popa, journalist; Cornelde Paiz, President of the Export-Import Association; and Jose Angel, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry.

The purchase challenge, under the slogan “#Producto Chapin para Chapines” (local products for Guatemalans), was launched to help Guatemalan farmers struggling to find sales channels due to movement restrictions caused by COVID-19. It is a relay-style campaign where the recipient of agricultural product gifts nominates the next person to pass on the products.

KOICA and WFP have created an online catalog on their website to allow participants in the challenge to freely purchase various local agricultural products, supporting direct purchases connecting 25 farmers' cooperatives with consumers.

Guatemala currently has over 25,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases. The government is conducting quarantine activities through strict movement restrictions. As a result, farmers whose sales channels for already produced agricultural products have been limited have experienced income reductions. Moreover, some farmers who lost their agricultural base due to floods at the end of May have yet to recover.

Kang Seung-heon, head of KOICA’s Guatemala office, said, “Through the Local Agricultural Products Purchase Challenge, we want to support local farmers going through difficult times due to COVID-19,” adding, “Furthermore, this campaign aims to go beyond emergency relief support and help Guatemalan farmers build resilience to respond to COVID-19 in the mid to long term.”