Fears of hunger overwhelm a Central American village as El Nino approaches
Rains have still not fallen here, where local farmers fear a lack of water could destroy the subsistence crops they need to survive.
Cecilia Pasa Sarat, 38, who is planting a small amount of corn, told AFP in the Xetzac village of Cünen: “If there is no rain, the crop will not come… If nothing happens, we will die of hunger.”
Also read: 80% chance of El Niño developing between June and August: United Nations
Cunen is an inaccessible mountainous region where the majority of its approximately 47,000 residents are poor and dependent on water from wells that are now running dry.
This village in the Indigenous Maya department of Quiche lies in the heart of the Dry Corridor, an arid, mountainous area that runs through Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua, making it vulnerable to extreme climate events.
Quiche was one of the hardest-hit regions of Guatemala by the El Niño-related food crisis in 2023. Some worry that the crisis could return due to the lack of government support.
This event, which is now fueling local residents’ fears of starvation, occurs every two to six years as part of the natural climate cycle that affects surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean.
It is expected to begin between June and August and create planetary ripple effects that will last for months.
long term damage
Weeks of drought have dried out the dusty streets of Xetzac, where streams that usually water the town’s corn, potato, broccoli and bean fields have evaporated under the fierce sun.
Elvira Pasha, who took shelter in the shade of the trees where the resin scent of the pine trees floated down the slope, said that the decrease in the village’s harvest would only result in “hunger”.
“We farm. We don’t sell. We just eat,” the 27-year-old community leader and mother of two boys, aged two and seven, told AFP.
“We eat what we plant. What happens if it doesn’t rain?” questioned Lucia Rojop, 43.
Their fears are well-founded. Approximately 2.5 million Guatemalans face potential food insecurity due to drought and the high likelihood of a strong El Niño weather cycle.
The Guatemalan government announced that it has 1.1 million rations ready to be distributed in case of an emergency.
According to experts, the possibility of El Nino turning into a more dangerous event depends on many atmospheric factors.
Governments in the dry countries of Central America have raised alarm levels about the El Niño phenomenon.
But El Niño is not the only reason for the worsening situation.
Also read: Strong El Nino may strike; Climate change will make its effects worse
In Guatemala alone, the Dry Corridor has grown from 40 municipalities to 160 municipalities since 2004, according to the government; This means that almost half of the country is exposed to drought caused by climate change.
Cecilia Pasha was passing through a rickety corn farm, clear evidence of drought.
“The plants can’t stand it anymore. The ground is drier now. It’s not as wet anymore,” he said.
That means only half of their neighbors planted corn this year.
Everyone, including Catarina Sica, didn’t even care.
“There is no rain and our planting time has passed,” Sica said, pointing to the black, white and yellow seeds still on the corn cob.
migration impact
For years, the brutal hardships of working the fields in Cunen were alleviated by remittances sent home from the United States.
However, US President Donald Trump’s mass deportations eliminated this support.
Nearly 24,000 Guatemalans were deported this year; most of these are from Quiche.
Deportations have crippled the dream of home construction and the jobs that come with it, many immigrants’ biggest dream.
Families are now raising pigs, sheep, chickens and turkeys to cope with the crisis.
Sica’s husband returned two years ago after saving enough money to build a concrete house.
He now works occasionally in agriculture, but the $10-a-day wage he earns means the family’s diet, like most locals, is limited to beans, herbs and potatoes.
Sica resignedly said, “We see what to do, but it all depends on God.” he said.
