Seeds for a Future Is Transforming the Lives of Rural Guatemalans
Families in rural Guatemala have struggled with malnutrition and food insecurity for generations, leading to an ongoing cycle of poverty that's hard to escape.
However, the Seeds Program is a replicable and sustainable solution for breaking these cycles and for the Program participants to create better lives for themselves.
What is the Seeds for a Future Program?
In 2009, Seeds for a Future began a long-term pilot program designed to restore the health and well-being of rural Guatemalans, who endure one of the highest rates of chronic malnutrition in Central America and the world.
Due to its impact and success, the Program continues to flourish throughout Guatemala.
Seeds for a Future isn’t only providing aid.
Instead, it incorporates a long-term strategy of sustainable self-reliance for families and communities.
The Seeds for a Future Program Integrates These Core Elements:
Countering Malnutrition and Food Insecurity
Nutrition and Health Education
Micro-Business Opportunities
Empowering Women
Generational Change and Resilience:
The practices used by the program's participants to achieve food security, better health, and increased opportunities become familial and community traditions.
These traditions are passed to future generations, contributing to healthier and more vibrant communities for generations to come.
Because of the Program's flexible and sustainable nature, it can be replicated in rural communities across the globe.
Seeds for a Future Program Locations
Our Results as of 2024:
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The Program serves 19 communities located in 10 states across Guatemala
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Over 5,200 Families have graduated from the Program
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41,600+ people have benefited (avg family size = 8.0)
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Thousands of home gardens created and maintained
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Thousands of protein animals raised
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20,000 native fruit, cacao, and timber trees planted and producing
The INCAP Research Study of the Seeds for a Future Program
An independent, randomized controlled trial of the Seeds for a Future Program was conducted from 2014 to 2017 by the internationally respected Institute for Nutrition in Central America and Panama (INCAP).
Funded by the Nestlé Foundation of Switzerland, INCAP’s research revealed that Seeds for a Future’s strategies and methods produce measurable positive improvements in the health of participating mothers and babies.
Follow-up interviews showed an extraordinary level of sustainability – more than 80% of study participants reported continuing one or more actions they had learned from the Seeds for a Future program.
