Land and Opportunity

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Land and Opportunity

Since 2003, Mercy Corps has been working in Guatemala to peacefully resolve conflicts over land that erupted after bankrupt coffee plantations shut down and forced tenant farmers to leave. The highest number of these confrontations occurred in the department of Alta Verapaz, where more than 76 percent of its 1 million residents live in poverty, most of whom are indigenous Q'echi'.

Nathan Golon for Mercy Corps

Special Report:
Land and Opportunity

Country: Guatemala

Topics: Rural, Peaceful Change, Economic Development, Agriculture

For the mostly poor, indigenous families of Guatemala's central highlands, access to productive farmland — and lucrative agricultural markets — is a first step out of poverty.

It Begins With Land ›

Topics: Agriculture

For the mostly poor, indigenous families of Guatemala's central highlands, access to productive farmland is a first step out of poverty. Using that land to break into lucrative agricultural markets is a critical leap forward.

Video: Owning the Land ›

Playing the role of neutral mediator helps farmers and finqueros resolve land conflicts peacefully, setting the stage for economic advancement.

Video: Tilling the Soil ›

Training newly landed farmers and helping them sell to lucrative markets is the second step in Mercy Corps' approach to rural economic development.

Worth The Wait ›

Farmers in Alta Verapaz may have to wait 18 months before the first pineapple harvest, but they hope growing the sought-after fruits bring lasting change to their community.

Video: A Community Abuzz ›

Raising honeybees is all the buzz in this bucolic Guatemalan village, where a dozen women harvested $700 worth of honey in their first year.

Video: What Youth Can Do ›

Tucurú's youth are educating their community about the growing specter of HIV/AIDS. But they're also discovering their own potential.

Won in Translation ›

Topics: Citizen Involvement, Health, HIV/AIDS, Marginalized Groups

Mercy Corps successfully turned around Tucurú's hospital in the late 1990s. And Carmelina Botzoc is a big reason why.

Earning Money and Respect ›

Topics: Economic Development, Marginalized Groups, Rural, Women's Empowerment

Extending credit to women in rural Guatemala has turned them into more than simply entrepreneurs.

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Guatemala Facts

Population: 13.3 million
Land area: About the size of Tennessee
Human Development Index rank: 121 (of 179)
Mercy Corps has worked here since 2001
Primary work: Resolving land conflict, helping farmers enter lucrative markets, extending healthcare to rural areas, lending to women entrepreneurs
Rural population below the poverty line: 60 percent
Percentage of rural poor dependent on agriculture: 87 percent (World Bank)
Ethnic groups: More than half of Guatemalans are descendants of indigenous Mayan peoples.
Civil war: December 1996 peace accords ended a 36-year conflict.

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Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities.

Over the last five years, we've allocated more than 89% of our resources directly to programs. America's premier charity evaluator gives Mercy Corps four stars in organizational efficiency. Click here to learn more.

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