Guatemala food crisis – level 2

17-10-2023 15:00

Maria Concepcion Rodriguez has six children. They live in the Guatemalan village of El Aguacate, and Maria has problems feeding her family.

When she has no food, she asks her neighbors for help. Her children are suffering from stunted growth, which means that they are shorter than they should be.  Her five-year-old son Juan Carlos is much shorter than he should be for his age. Guatemala has the highest rate of stunted growth in Latin America.  44% of children don’t grow as they should. There are more reasons for it, food shortages, climate change, political situation in the country, and the impact of COVID-19.

The situation is getting worse, and many families migrate to the United States. Climate change is an important factor because it causes drought and affects farming in the area.

Difficult words: suffer (to undergo a difficult situation), shortage (when there is not enough of something), drought (a long time with little or no rain).

You can watch the original video in the Level 3 section.

What are other effects of climate change that contribute to the food shortages in El Aguacate?

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