Food Poverty in Guatemala
Renée Whitehouse
The National Statistics Institute, a Guatemalan government organisation, calculated before the Guardian Article in 2011 that a minimum of 4,100 quetzales a month or $538 is needed to feed an “average” sized family. Depending on where you live the current cost of living is between $500 and $2000 per month. The trouble is, however, that even while Guatemala’s national minimum wage is 2,644.50 quetzales ($346) a month for agricultural and nonagricultural workers, some workers say they receive as little as 600 to 700 quetzales ($78.63 to $91.74) a month (Wirtz, 2005) and 59.3% of people who reported in 2014 were below the poverty line (Worldbank, 2014). And the groups that are affected most are the indigenous people living in rural communities.
Food Prices
Although the country’s major export are agricultural products and just under 36% of the total land area was used agriculturally in 2016 it was and is mostly exported for the non-traditional agricultural exports (NTAE). Back in 2007/08 there was a study done that Robles and Keefe referred to in 2011 which showed that over 96% of households were hit harder by the increasing food prices, causing an increase of 1.1% of people in poverty (Robles & Keefe, 2011). 80% of wages are spent on food and with the unpaid work or underpaid women in the rural work force a family is harder to support.
While the government given remittance plan was formed for the assisting of peoples in severe poverty areas, as it accounts for 50 to 60% of the household’s income, it has not been found to affect the gap in inequality (Adams, 2004). It may not seem like a high number, however, with the higher number of people in poverty and the amount of pay dropping further, the people who need it most are no longer able to qualify for welfare (Robles & Keefe, 2011).
Malnutrition
As another effect of poverty, many people in rural Guatemala also are affected by malnutrition. Without the ability to pay for the groceries that are needed, children and adults alike are suffering in increasing numbers in poor and indigenous communities (Marini & Gragnolati, 2003). As Marini and Gragnolati pointed out, there is a high correlation as to the area where a child grows up and if they are subject to chronic malnutrition. The highest changing food substances included corn, bananas, and meat/poultry/fish (Iannotti, Robles, Pachón, & Chiarella, 2012). These food substances are commonly among the staple crops of Guatemala, and are therefore highly pressed upon for selling, but are extremely important for the bodies intake of vitamins and minerals (Damiani, 2000; Iannotti, Robles, Pachón, & Chiarella, 2012).
While new initiatives are being introduced in these rural areas, along with the urban, as shown with the work of International Relief Teams, there is still work to do to close the gap of unequal pay and the ability to provide for a household, and even pay for food for a household of one.
Citations:
Adams, R. H. J. (2004). Remittances and poverty in Guatemala. The World Bank.
Data, I. W. (2014). Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty line (% of population).
Damiani, O. (2000). The state and nontraditional agricultural exports in Latin America: Results and lessons of three case studies. Report for the Inter-American Development Bank. Washington, DC.
Dürr, J. (2016). The political economy of agriculture for development today: the “small versus large” scale debate revisited. Agricultural Economics, 47(6), 671-681.
Iannotti, L. L., Robles, M., Pachón, H., & Chiarella, C. (2012). Food prices and poverty negatively affect micronutrient intakes in Guatemala. The Journal of nutrition, 142(8), 1568-1576.
Marini, A., & Gragnolati, M. (2003). Malnutrition and poverty in Guatemala. The World Bank.
Robles, M., & Keefe, M. (2011). The effects of changing food prices on welfare and poverty in Guatemala. Development in Practice, 21(4-5), 578-589.
Vakis, R. (2002). Guatemala: livelihoods, labor markets, and rural poverty. The World Bank.