Online Business Briefing Session to Discover and Support Optimal Climate Change Response Projects
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] KOICA held an online business briefing session on the 3rd (local time) in Guatemala for small-scale farmers' cooperatives to participate in projects responding to climate change.
Since 2018, KOICA has been implementing projects to support farmers' responses to climate change in three departments of the Western Highlands of Guatemala in collaboration with the Green Climate Fund (GCF). These projects focus on fostering sustainable agriculture and forestry, strengthening residents' capacities, and supporting various small-scale projects.
KOICA and the implementing agency, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), plan to call for project proposals from more than 100 small-scale women farmers' cooperatives, regional agricultural cooperatives, and grassroots cooperatives. They will select and support projects based on the needs of each cooperative through a review process. The types of projects include village improvement projects, construction of agricultural facilities, formation of savings groups, forest restoration, soil restoration, establishment of storage and packaging facilities for agricultural products, and construction of irrigation facilities. Each project can receive up to $40,000 in support.
Kang Seung-heon, head of the KOICA Guatemala office, said, "We look forward to receiving project applications that reflect the diverse needs of local communities to solve the difficulties each farmers' cooperative faces due to climate change." He added, "KOICA will continue to cooperate with the international community to support Guatemala, which is vulnerable to climate change."
Prior to this briefing session, on the 2nd (local time), the KOICA Guatemala office signed a memorandum of understanding with the World Food Programme (WFP) to implement a project aimed at improving nutrition for residents in the Wewe Tenango region, which suffers from chronic food shortages.
The Wewe Tenango region in Guatemala is a vulnerable area where 43% of residents suffer from malnutrition, and the mortality rates of infants and mothers are significantly higher than in other regions. Since 2018, KOICA has lowered the barriers to hospital access for mothers and infants in medical blind spots by constructing a new ward and providing equipment through the "Wewe Tenango Maternal and Child Hospital Project" in this area.
Specifically, KOICA and WFP plan to implement over the next 10 months the following in four cities of the Wewe Tenango department, targeting 500 families (2,500 people): △emergency food support for vulnerable groups △food production through small-scale family and village gardens △nutrition management education for infants and young children △small-scale financial support through the formation of savings groups for women △provision of education by local governments △COVID-19 prevention support.
Office head Kang Seung-heon explained, "The Wewe Tenango region is a representative vulnerable area in Guatemala where many young people leave their hometowns for cities or abroad, showing a vicious cycle of poverty. KOICA will continue to pay attention and provide necessary support to enhance the development vitality of the Wewe Tenango region."
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