A DUNMANWAY clergyman is drawing attention to the plight of indigenous farmers in Guatemala, where the climate crisis is causing crops to fail, driving families into hunger and malnutrition.
Rev Adam Pullen, a Church of Ireland Rector of Fanlobbus Union of Parishes, Dunmanway, used a corn cob and pineapple to symbolise the work Christian Aid is doing to help farmers in Guatemala’s Alta Verapaz region to make a living, despite the intense heatwaves and harsh droughts that threaten their livelihoods.
In Guatemala’s Alta Verapaz region, Amelia and her daughter stand beside a banana tree that’s dying from drought. (Photo: Amy Sheppey)
40% of Guatemala’s indigenous community live in extreme poverty, many without mains water, electricity or network coverage.
Most rely on rain-fed farming to make their living, but as the climate crisis brings longer and harsher droughts, crops are failing and hunger often follows quickly.
Across Guatemala, 46% of children aged under five experience stunting of their growth, due to a lack of nutrition in their diet.
Corn, which is a staple food in Guatemala, is especially sensitive to drought but Christian Aid’s local partner, Congcoop, has been encouraging farmers to reintroduce the ancient practice of ‘companion planting’, a technique first developed by indigenous communities in the Americas, where corn, beans and squash are grown together in the same plot.
This practice boosts yields because the large squash leaves provide ground cover, suppressing weeds and retaining moisture, while the beans fix nitrogen, enriching the soil without the need for expensive fertilisers.
The Christian Aid-funded project also encourages farmers to introduce pineapple, which tolerates drought well.
Rev Adam Pullen supports Christian Aid though his ministry, and his ‘corn and pineapple’ gesture marked Christian Aid Week, which ran earlier in May.
The charity’s work with indigenous farming communities in Guatemala’s ‘dry corridor’ was the focus of this year’s Christian Aid Week appeal.
Christian Aid Ireland chief executive Rosamond Bennett thanked Rev Pullen for highlighting the charity’s work in Guatemala: ‘It is only with the support of clergy members like Rev Pullen and their congregations that we can fund the work that enables farmers in Guatemala to survive the blistering temperatures and harsh droughts, so they can feed themselves and their families,’ she said.
