Rodrigo Yáñez and Rafael Lindemann, principal investigators of Rimisp – Latin American Center for Rural Development, traveled to Guatemala to accompany the Sank organization and Mayan Q’eqchi’ communities of Alta Verapaz in meetings with Guatemalan government authorities and also presented the systematization of our work in the Networks for Agri-food Transformation project to the municipalities of Raxruhá and Chisec.

These advocacy actions sought to strengthen the dialogue between ancestral knowledge and public policies, as well as to present the project’s progress at national and municipal levels.

ADVOCACY AT NATIONAL GOVERNMENT LEVEL

The advocacy agenda with the Government of Guatemala was a significant step in making visible the needs and proposals of the Maya Q’eqchi’ communities. Rimisp researchers accompanied community representatives to various meetings in Guatemala City:

• Historic visit to the National Palace of Guatemala:For the first time, representatives of the Maya Q’eqchi’ communities of Alta Verapaz visited the National Palace. There, they met with the Private Secretary of the Presidency.
• Meeting with the team of the Secretariat for Food and Nutritional Security (SESAN).
• Meeting with the Vice Minister of Food and Nutritional Security of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (MAGA):During the meeting with Vice-Minister Mario Gaitán, Rimisp provided a technical perspective to support and accompany the work carried out by the Maya Q’eqchi’ communities of Alta Verapaz.
• Meeting with Diputado Luis Enrique Ventura: A conversation was held with Congressman Ventura, a member of the parliamentary caucus dedicated to agricultural issues, where Rimisp was instrumental in facilitating dialogue and conveying community perspectives.

IMPACT AT THE MUNICIPAL LEVEL: RAXRUHÁ AND CHISEC

The activities also included the presentation of the project’s progress at municipal level, promoting coordination with local authorities:

• Meeting with the Mayor of the Municipality of Raxruhá: The Mayor Rigoberto Corleto Green was presented with the systematization of Rimisp and Sank’s work in the Networks for Agroalimentary Transformation project, highlighting the actions promoted together with the Mayan Q’eqchi’ communities.
• Meeting with the Mayor and Municipal Council of Chisec: Sank’s work was shared within the framework of productive diversification strategies, seeking synergies and support for local development.

In addition, Rimisp researchers met with Sank, the local partner of the Networks for Agri-Food Transformation project in Guatemala, to coordinate further actions and strengthen collaboration.

These activities are part of the Networks for Agri-Food Transformation project, an initiative supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC – Canada) and executed in conjunction with Rimisp’s partner in Guatemala, Sank.