Guatemala is one of the most unequal countries in Latin America, where poverty, corruption and violence has forced millions to leave their homes and head north in search of security. The worsening global climate crisis, drought, famine and the battle for disappearing natural resources are progressively being seen as major factors in the increase in the number of Guatemalan families showing up at the U.S. border seeking asylum. Almost half the population cannot afford the cost of the basic food basket. As a result, the prevalence of stunting in children under 5 is one of the highest in the world. At 46.5 percent nationally, the stunting rate peaks as high as 90 percent in the hardest hit municipalities. While two thirds of the overall population live on less than US$ 2 per day, poverty affects indigenous people disproportionately: 80 percent of them experience deprivation in multiple aspects of their lives, including food security, nutrition, health and education. Vulnerable to natural disasters and the effects of climate change, the regions extended dry seasons have had a severe impact on the livelihoods of subsistence farmers, who rely on rain-fed agriculture, especially in the Dry Corridor. The impact of lack of rain has been devastating. In 2018, drought related crop failures directly affected one in 10 Guatemalans, and caused extreme food shortages for almost 840,000 people, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. Entire families have been migrating in record numbers: since October 2018, more than 167,000 Guatemalans traveling in family groups have been detained at the US border, compared with 23,000 in 2016. Guatemala is facing serious challenges in achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 on Zero Hunger, which includes the elimination of all forms of malnutrition by 2030. The human tide streaming to America’s southern border may only grow in coming years as the impacts of climate change force northward migration.
