Giving women in Guatemala a voice in food security and nutrition
While gender equality in Guatemala has improved in recent years, male hegemony still strongly characterizes the culture, particularly in rural areas.
© FAO / Mariela Molina
“It is no secret that rural women in Guatemala face multiple challenges in many aspects of their life, not least of which are limited access to land, training and credit. They also have difficulty finding decent employment opportunities due to the multiple forms of discrimination they encounter based on their gender, socio-economic status and the geographic area where they live,” said Milvian Aspuac, Coordinator of the Women’s Association for Development.
In August 2016, the government of Guatemala took a stand for rural women and indigenous peoples when its Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (MAGA) ratified its first policy for gender equality in the areas of national food security, nutrition and rural development.
FAO is helping the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (MAGA) to improve its capacity for developing not only the gender equality policy but also those organizational processes and mechanisms that help promote gender equality. FAO is also assisting the Ministry in turning those policies into practice.