Feed The Future Guatemala Value Chains Project: Summary of impact evaluation study
Guatemala experiences high and continued chronic malnutrition and poverty rates, with a particular concentration around predominantly rural and indigenous areas in the Western Highlands. Agricultural development is similarly low in the region, with farmers generally cultivating small landholdings, showing low agricultural productivity, and having limited ability for capital investment and an overall lack of market opportunities, combined with a relatively weak government support.
The study evaluates three-year impacts on several outcomes linked to food security, nutrition, and livelihoods among Project beneficiaries, based on household data collected in November-December of 2019 and 2022. Special attention is placed to assessing effects on nutritional indicators for children, household dietary diversity, food insecurity experiences, per capita daily expenditures, intention to emigrate, and crop diversity. In addition, the study explores potential heterogeneous impacts distinguishing by Implementing Partner (Popoyan, FEDECOCAGUA) and by type of treatment received (i.e., participation in training activities linked to agricultural productivity and income generation, market access, and nutrition and food security).
Full citation: Hernandez, Manuel A.; Ceballos, Francisco; Paz, Cynthia; and Espinoza, Alvaro. 2023. Feed the Future Guatemala Value Chains Project: Summary of impact evaluation study. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).