The fall in commodity prices

The fall in the real value of commodities has crippled small producers in poor countries throughout the world, including Guatemala.

At the local market, prices of maize and beans -the two most important products in the Guatemalan diet- are too low to make production of these two crops alone a viable option for those smallholders who aim at development rather than mere subsistence. Likewise, the value of export crops has tended to decline, particularly coffee and sugar, the two most significant export crops in Guatemala

Agricultural production at ADIPSA

At ADIPSA, we provide assistance to small producers in the communities of San Agustin via agricultural production projects. These include:

• Basic grains, especially corn and beans
• Vegetable patches and fruit gardens
• Crop diversification
• Coffee and sugarcane production
• Infrastructure: water tanks and irrigation systems

Ecological production

At ADIPSA, we strive to invert the environmental degradation in the communities of San Agustin caused by damaging agricultural production techniques.

We promote ecological production methods in all our programmes and we have ruled out the use of chemicals in all recent programmes.

Rather than use chemical fertilisers which damage the soil, contaminate the atmosphere and water sources and endanger the natural habitat, we have adopted organic production techniques.

We distribute organic materials for producing compost; they and organise workshops and skills building activities on the benefits of eco-friendly production techniques.

'Criolla' seeds

In our agricultural production programme, we promote the use of traditional 'criolla' seeds, handed down over generations. By striving to protect the communities from genetically modified seeds, we aim to contribute to food security in San Agustín.

Commercialisation at ADIPSA

Our Agricultural Production and Commercialisation programme aims at development and not mere subsistence. In order to achieve sustainable development, it is essential that our producers obtain decent prices for their produce.

Our agricultural production projects increase productivity levels, which in turn allows farmers to produce surpluses which can be sold at the local level.

However, persistent low prices of commodity markets are a major factor inhibiting development in rural Guatemala. Even if farmers are able to produce high quality produce, they still must come face unfavourable conditions at the market. And so, as an organisation, we have recently begun to coordinate the commercialisation of our members' produce, including

• Coffee
• Beans
• Fruit
• Raw sugar cane