Promoting drip irrigation and climate resilience in Guatemala

Promoting drip irrigation and climate resilience in Guatemala

Young women working in garden plot with vegetable seedlings, drip irrigation hose, mulch, and USAID water tank in background
Young technicians plant vegetable seedlings in a demonstration plot with drip irrigation and mulch, to promote these practices among farmers in Guatemala's Western Highlands
Project Description

Also called MásRiego, this project develops and implements holistic, business-driven solutions to increase availability of climate resilient solutions while increasing inclusion. These activities and technologies incluse drip irrigation, conservation agriculture and improved water management, while addressing social inclusion, capacity, and asset building for all community members, especially women and youth, in Feed the Future zones of Guatemala.

Global climate change predictions forecast increased rainfall variability, which present traditional rain-fed agriculture with "out of season" rains and other water management challenges. As competition increases for water, practices such as conservation agriculture, rainwater harvesting, and drip irrigation will be increasingly important and sought after by smallholder producers.

A Horticulture Innovation Lab team is working to increase the use of drip irrigation, conservation agriculture and rainwater harvesting practices, where appropriate, in smallholder vegetable production systems in Guatemala. These practices produce vegetable crops for market and home consumption, while conserving natural resources upon which sustained crop production depends. These practices will enable smallholder farmers and youth to earn income from producing high-value horticultural crops in the face of climate change and changing rainfall patterns.

Project activities are designed to promote private sector development in horticulture while promoting small-scale commercial horticulture through increased use of climate-smart practices. The team is also developing the capacity of project partners, beneficiaries, and participants in other Feed the Future projects in implementing climate change resiliency strategies.

Map Location

15.0236312, -91.1496969

14.9173402, -91.3613923

15.403729940141, -91.12328902266

Countries

Guatemala

USAID Objective

Resilience

News

5 lessons for expanding drip irrigation among smallholder farmers

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Meagan Terry writes about lessons learned from the MasRiego project in Guatemala, focused on drip irrigation and climate resilience. Though its name means “more irrigation” in Spanish, this project does more than just install drip irrigation systems.

Events launch irrigation project in Guatemala

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Meagan Terry writes about opening activities for this new project focused on drip irrigation and conservation agriculture, including initial training activities and establishing a demonstration garden.

MásRiego project starts in Guatemala

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Expanding irrigation and climate-smart farming to Guatemala

An international team led by UC Davis is working to connect 9,000 rural households in Guatemala with improved water management and climate-smart agriculture strategies, to increase food security and reduce poverty.