Decent Rural Employment

ICA Guatemala: 2020 updates

11/12/2020

In Guatemala, ICA started its operations in 2015, while the current phase started in mid-2019. Let’s take a little step back and review the latest achievements of the programme!

Key sector strategy

ICA continues to support the implementation and updates of these policy frameworks developed under the previous project phase.

Technical support

  • Promoting sustainable business models for young agripreneurs and cooperatives

Following the trainings and technical support provided to rural youth in the previous ICA phase (2015-2018), ICA has selected a pilot group of 50 Agripreneurs (leading individual or collective businesses) in the Western Departments to support them on business management, market linkages, innovation and value addition (baseline forthcoming).

Selected youth-led cooperatives, like agricultural cooperative Emprendedores del Valle -COPEVA- de San Miguel Ixtahuacán or the rural tourism cooperative Q'ichb'e Linda Vista en Tacaná, already formalized during the previous ICA phase, received direct support to enhance their business plans and foster their engagement in the value chain.

ICA supported the development of this digital solution through a human-centred design process during the previous project phase. The web/mobile platform www.ChispaRural.GT enables rural youth to access up-to-date information, otherwise dispersed, to uplift their productive, marketing and networking activities. Users can find youth-friendly digital content on agriculture and entrepreneurship, including information on training and funding opportunities, success stories of young agripreneurs, practical tools and learning resources such as webinars.  

COVID-19 response

Following a rapid assessment with youth organizations, ICA supported the organization of several technical webinars of the series #JovenesConChispa, covering topics such as: green jobs and business opportunities for youth (Emprendimientos verdes y oportunidades post-COVID19); youth-led business networks and innovation (Redes empresariales juveniles e innovación en tiempos de crisis); local markets and short supply chains (Circuitos Cortos de Comercialización); and entrepreneurial coaching (Tips para emprender con exito).

Find out more on COVID-19 response in ICA countries 

Partnerships

  • Public sector: Ministerio de Economía (MINECO); Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería y Alimentación (MAGA)
  • NGO: Counterpart international; Factoría del Emprendimiento y la Mipyme/ONG Enlace; Fundacion Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung; HELVETAS-PRODERT. Proyecto Desarrollo Económico Territorial; Proyecto PROINNOVA/USAID. Impulso a corredores agro-económicos.

Youth networks

Red Nacional de Jóvenes Rurales Guatemala

Asociación de Desarrollo Integral de Jóvenes Emprendedores (ADIJE)

Intra-FAO synergies

  • UNJP (FAO/UNESCO/OIM) funded by the Peace Building Fund: Construir la cohesión social de las comunidades que reciben jóvenes retornados como un puente hacia una reintegración pacífica y efectiva
  • FAO Guatemala project funded by the Swedish Cooperation: Programa conjunto de desarrollo integral rural Ixil
  • FAO Child Labour Team: development of video on the Nueva Generación Cafetalera initiative implemented from 2017-2018 by the ICA programme in collaboration with Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung, with focus on young beneficiaries of 16-17 years old.

Publications

Videos

What’s cooking for 2021

  • Knowledge product: Agricultural finance and the youth- Prospects for financial inclusion in Guatemala (forthcoming, January 2021)
  • Financial pilot in support of young Agripreneurs
  • Assess the main typologies of successful youth-friendly agri-business models
  • Development of digital services (e.g. ChispaRural.GT marketplace) and skills to enhance the use of ICTs for accessing information and market opportunities