Corn stands as a cornerstone among the staple foods of Central America, with Guatemala emerging as the foremost producer within the region. Beyond its role as a significant export commodity, agriculture in Guatemala serves as an indispensable pillar in ensuring food security.

Recent years have posed formidable challenges for Guatemala's agricultural sector, marked by severe droughts, hurricanes, and locust disasters that have significantly disrupted domestic food production stability. Alarmingly, projections by the World Bank indicate a forecasted 27% reduction in domestic food production by 2030 due to the impact of climate change. Moreover, the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 critically strained the global food supply chain, compelling Guatemala to refocus attention on bolstering domestic food security.

Transnational cooperation to address food security issues in Guatemala

DataYoo is renewing its collaboration with trusted partners in Guatemala, including the International Cooperation and Development Fund at Guatemala (ICDF), alongside the Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). This plan involves utilizing the original seeds of the ICTA B-15 variety, enhanced with nutritional fortification, to supply corn seeds to the ACESCATEL production cooperative. The initiative aims to yield 28,000 tons of high-quality, nutritionally fortified edible corn, presenting a significant contribution to addressing the country's food security concerns.

With the launch of FarmiSpace in Guatemala, ICDF and CIAT's expertise have been further bolstered, including early warning and timely detection functions, empowers their at Guatemala to respond more precisely to corn diseases, as well as manage water and fertilization with increased efficiency.

Challenge: Tar Spot complex, Drought, and Unstable Yields

The eight cities in this partnership are located in Baja Verapaz Province. These cities are: Cubulco, Granados, Purulhá, Rabinal, Salamá, San Jerónimo, San Miguel Chicaj, Santa Cruz El Chol.

This collaborative initiative with Guatemala spans across eight cities in the Baja Verapaz Province, unifying climate information from these locations onto a single platform.

Beyond the challenge of integrating extensive farmland data, local corn cultivation faces three primary hurdles: Firstly, the prevalence of tar spot complex disease (called “La Mancha de Asfalto” in Guatemala) in corn significantly jeopardizes production. Secondly, drought poses a critical threat as corn demands heightened water supply during both its growth and flowering stages, making any water scarcity detrimental to its development. Finally, the volatility in climate directly impacts corn yields, exerting profound implications on Central America, particularly Guatemala significant corn-producing nation. These challenges pose a consequential threat to food security in the region.

Guatemala has faced significant challenges due to unpredictable rainfall patterns, severe droughts, and a series of natural disasters attributed to climate change (Sources: World Bank).

Solution

To address these serious challenges confronting Guatemala, several solutions can be implemented to facilitate necessary adjustments:

Growth index
Moisture index
Health index
Crop Improvement (ICDF X CIAT)

The services based on satellite technology, such as the growth index, moisture index, and health index, offer real-time insights to both ICDF and farmers working in the fields. These services enable a rapid understanding of anomalies occurring in the fields. By leveraging the various layers of each index, we can pinpoint fields requiring immediate attention. For instance, through the health index, we can identify areas exhibiting abnormal characteristics, such as a light green or yellow hue, which often signifies the emergence of common corn diseases, such as “La Mancha de Asfalto (rust)”, “Tizones de las hojas (blight)” and “Manchas de las hojas (leaf spots)”etc.. Immediate action can be taken upon discovery, dispatching personnel to address the issue promptly, thereby containing the spread. The growth index aids in identifying areas with slower growth rates, allowing targeted fertilization based on color indications from satellite images to enhance the overall yield. Lastly, the moisture index guides irrigation efforts by signaling areas, evident from yellow coloring in satellite imagery, that requires additional water.

With the aid of historical data and real-time monitoring, ICDF can intensify its research efforts to identify optimal crop improvement and other climate-responsive solutions tailored to Guatemala's agricultural needs.

Outcome

The collaboration's outcomes encompass the establishment of productive agricultural practices, creating a sustainable link to food security that contributes to increased yields through precise resource allocation. Through the collaborative efforts of DataYoo and ICDF, real-time, on-site observations and streamlined data collection, including historical data and statistics, have supported ICDF's field management. This approach has played a role in reducing operational costs and improving harvest yields for farmers, leading to their increased satisfaction with the ongoing implementation of precision agriculture services. This case study sheds light on the impact of remote sensing on Guatemala's agriculture, showcasing the combined efforts of DataYoo and ICDF in promoting sustainable and efficient farming practices.