By Jeannie Balanda | Executive Director
By far MayaWorks grants more microloans for crop projects. The Maya live by the land. Subsistence farming is a traditional way of life for Maya families in Guatemala; however, more and more these days, Maya farmers are growing crops for export to the U.S. Three MayaWorks artisan partners have recently received loans of $500 each to buy plants for export crops.
These women, from Xetonox, a fertile valley of Tecpán, will plant green bean and blackberry plants, both of which are lucrative export crops, that is, if the weather cooperates. Too much rain ruins the plants and rainfall totals from recent years have proven that planting crops can be risky business. Average rainfall in Guatemala ranges from 60 to 100 inches per year. If a tropical storm system rolls in, the fate of crops is left to mother nature. And mother nature usually wins!
We're keeping our fingers crossed for a successful year because the women really love their crop projects. They proudly show off their fields when we come to visit.
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