During the last 13 years, Guatemala has been seriously affected by four extreme precipitation events associated with hurricanes and tropical storms : Mitch in 1998 ; Stan in 2005 ; Agatha in 2010; and tropical depression 12-E in 2011. All four events resulted in unusually high precipitation and significant storm-related damage in municipalities such as Cabricán in the western highlands. The project’s research confirmed the lack of diversification in local livelihood systems, with 66 per cent of households reporting agriculture as their primary economic activity. Farming households in the research villages engage in the milpa system of subsistence agriculture (corn in association with various types of beans) with one harvest per year. Of landholdings in Cabricán, 90 per cent are of less than one manzana (7,000 square metres), and more than 90 per cent of its population earns less than US$2/day, with the main distinction among households being the better housing conditions of those receiving remittances. Food insecurity, which peaks in the months leading up to the harvest in November, is widespread, with 78 per cent of survey respondents reporting having suffered food shortages at least once in the last ten years. Food security in Cabricán is further undermined by poor access to nutritious foods (few products available in local markets) and consumption habits (strong tendency to over-consume maize). Weaving has risen to be the second most important activity, with 22 and 30 per cent of households respectively reporting it as their primary or second most important activity. However, people engaged in weaving are paid only for the amount of labour they provide to the owner of the machinery, who controls both the input supply and marketing of the final product,
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Where the Rain Falls: Climate Change, Food and Livelihood Security, and Migration
November, 2012