How an Indigenous Remote Village in Guatemala Gained an Economy
by Fern Remedi-Brown
An indigenous community high in the mountains of Guatemala, hours from the nearest tourist area, without government services, now has sustainable agriculture.
Sowing Opportunities, Inc. is developing agricultural solutions in an impoverished region of the world, addressing climate change that affects food insecurity and malnutrition as well as migration due to poverty and lack of economic opportunities. They are doing this by providing the tools for residents to feed their families and have a livelihood.
Sowing Opportunities’ overall mission has been to cultivate self-sustainability, education, and wellness in rural Guatemala — one village at a time. The organization was developed in 2015 when the family wanted to learn about their adopted daughter’s biological village. The more that was learned, the more they wanted to help. The intention was to first help the remote indigenous village of Chajmaic to develop resources, and then help other villages in Guatemala.
The nonprofit has been working with Chajmaic — a village whose population mostly does not speak Spanish and which is largely illiterate. This year, for the first time in their history, Sowing Opportunities’ witnessed Chajmaic’s harvest of lush vegetables through greenhouse farming, to feed their families and have income.
The region has an unstaffed clinic, no doctor’s visits, and many of the people living there have never had medical attention. They have a river that is contaminated because it is used for all their needs. There is no plumbing or sewage. Electricity is provided by a single wire. In March, Chajmaic had its first ever doctor’s visit.
Funds have been raised completely at the grassroots level through individual donations and events.
Donors have supported this work because it makes a direct difference to the indigenous poor — without the organizers taking any percentage.
The organization is seeking corporate sponsorship or a personal funding commitment to bring this effort to additional families in the village, to complete the water filtration project begun in 2018, and to begin to deliver training to additional villages who noticed and are requesting these services.
A needs assessment conducted (2020) showed that this remote, indigenous village of Chajmaic, Guatemala wanted to learn agriculture. Climate change (hurricanes, flooding) has a deep affect. Building greenhouses of coated iron in high elevations addresses the need.
See video about the effect of hurricanes and flooding and how Sowing Opportunities responded to the needs that arose:
In 2022 Sowing Opportunities embarked on the Sol y Tierra Sustainable Greenhouse Farming Project , with the mission of creating sustainable agriculture and reducing poverty and malnutrition in rural Guatemala.
In March 2022, the nonprofit organization, which incorporated in 2018, brought an agricultural engineer to Chajmaic to teach 30 families for their Innovative Solutions Campaign with a 3-Phase plan to create Sustainability, and reduce Poverty and Malnutrition in the community. This began with a pilot project of farming with the highest yield in the smallest space for the least effort. With these skills, leaders are able to teach others.
The objectives of the 2022 greenhouses pilot project have been to teach farming to families demonstrating leadership, with capacity-building technique, leadership and maintenance skills, to provide sustenance and livelihood for an impoverished population suffering inequity, with the goal of ending the cycle of poverty and helping the people to live on their land. Through this objective, women and youth have emerged as leaders, in addition to men of working age and elders in the community.
The first week that the agricultural engineer was there in Chajmaic (mid-March 2022), he taught the 30 participating families how to build greenhouses.
Due to the extreme need, enthusiasm, and dedication of these families, these greenhouses were constructed in 1/4 of the time expected — one month was allotted, but it took only one week. Details are here: https://bit.ly/3lwTPUk .
The second week, seedlings were delivered and the engineer taught the families how to plant them in their greenhouses. This time, the time was reduced by 1/7. What would have taken one week took one night!
In Week 3, the seedlings had grown incredibly, due to the training and commitment of the participants.
Here is how Sowing Opportunities is addressing climate change in this region of the world:
and here is how they are addressing migration due to lack of economic opportunities:
At the same time, they are providing healthcare services — first in the form of assessment:
and later, by staffing and providing supplies for the local health center within the village.
The original plan was for the agricultural engineer to return in 2023 to work with a second group of 30 families. However, Sowing Opportunities has also contracted him to return in six months to verify that things are going well with the first group, to answer questions directly, and to do a follow-up of weights and measurements of the children.
Their third area of development will be the aforementioned water filtration, which they anticipate they may be able to achieve in 2023–24.
Their fourth area of development will be to have a community greenhouse for the entire village, projected for 2024.
And, then they will begin the process in new villages.
Training in agricultural techniques / greenhouse maintenance was documented through a pictorial manual, which is especially helpful for the many family participants who do not speak Spanish and cannot read or write. Trainees have proven their knowledge by setting up / maintaining greenhouses, and this has been documented through photos, videos and text posted at
and at
The proof of having learned the techniques has come through high yield results of corn, beans, and other vegetables determined during the needs assessment that was conducted during Weeks 1–2.
Livelihood has been documented through photos/videos as well as testimonials and posted on the website at this link:
Participants report experiences with food insecurity at the beginning and after the 2-mo. intensive in-class and on-the-job training from the expert agronomist.
In addition, pre- and post- verbal surveys are being conducted for symptoms of malnutrition/insufficient food: sense of hunger, stomachache, fatigue, dizziness, muscle weakness, infections and delayed healing.
Success has already begun for the village of Chajmaic, with leadership development, families being fed nutritious meals, and businesses beginning. This is a new dawn for the remote region, allowing those living there to maintain their family and spiritual ties, and to flourish for the first time in their history.
If you would like to donate, the link is
and if you would like to get involved at a corporate level, the link is
Again, all funds go 100% to those in need.
Thank you! ¡Gracias! Bantiox!