COFFEE

Coffee is the most important crop in Guatemala, providing thousands of jobs in the most remote areas. The communities in the Yepocapa Region, which sits in the foothills southwest of the volcano, are especially dependent on coffee for their livelihoods. Unfortunately, Yepocapa was one of the two regions most affected by the devastating coffee leaf rust disorder, which reduced yield by up to 70% and continues to cause damage to this day. Other diseases (coffee berry borer, anthracnose, phoma, nematodes, scale, etc.) drought, changing rain patterns, and low market prices have all taken their toll on the plants and farmers in recent years.

Coffee is a perennial crop which takes 3-4 years to produce a full harvest. New plants are time consuming to produce and expensive to buy. The fertilization and pest treatment regimens necessary to reach the quantity and quality potential in the Yepocapa region are unaffordable to farmers under current market prices.

AGRICULTURE

It is clear to see the traumatic and devastating effects the thousands of tons of hot rock and lava have had on the communities just to the south of Fuego. Though it may be a little less obvious, communities all around the volcano, which are mostly subsistence farmers and smallholder coffee producers, are also suffering profound losses due to heavy pyroclastic sand and ash fall. Corn, beans, coffee and other crops have been burned to the point that they are entirely unproductive. Additionally, animals such as mules, horses and cattle, which are extremely important to the agriculture and livelihoods in the region, have been unable to eat their usual grasses and weeds. Farmers have had to spend hours collecting foliage to bring home and wash for their animals, in order to keep them alive.