Guatemala: Alliances to improve the situation of Children, Food security and Nutrition

Guatemala has the highest prevalence of stunting of children under 5 in Latin America, ranking fourth worldwide, and its national undernutrition rate is the highest in Latin America. The Joint Programme's aim is to improve nutrition among rural and indigenous communities by improving the production of foods by households for their own consumption and for sale, improving feeding behaviours, promoting healthy environments and contributing to gender equity.

At the municipal level, the programme aims to increase the demand for, and the provision of, health and nutrition services. At the national level, it is:

i) Strengthening institutional coordination, including coordinating and harmonizing the involved actors;

ii) Developing strategies to improve the quality of health services and food practices at the household level, considering children as a priority;

iii) Repositioning the use of traditional local foods in light of food price increases and climate change;

iv) Facilitating the capitalization of economic incentives;

v) Linking small producers to social government programmes as an alternative market; and

vi) Establishing the Food and Nutrition Security Early Warning Observatory.