Seasonal hunger in Guatemala

A prolonged drought has worsened the hunger problem among Guatemala's heavily indigenous population. In a country where about 60 percent of the people live on less than $3.50 per day, hunger is always a concern. But now, it has hit especially hard in areas like Chiquimula, one of the provinces where meager rainfalls limit farmers to one crop per year.

The period between June and September is referred to as a period of "seasonal hunger" in Guatemala. During these months, farmers have often run low or out of the previous season's crops while those of the next season are not quite ready for harvest and consumption. The Guatemalan government often provides assistance to these farmers, approximately one million people, to help get through this difficult stretch.

Every dollar that has been stolen from the Guatemalan people through the recent corruption scandals is one less dollar that the government can spend on helping these farmers through seasonal hunger. It is one less dollar that can be invested in mitigating the effects of climate change. Corruption is one of the key reasons why Guatemala's schools, hospitals, and overall infrastructure is failing.

The arrests of Otto Perez Molina and others who have enriched themselves at the expense of the Guatemalan people should improve government revenue going forward. I would hope that some analysis is underway that looks at how much money the Guatemalan state will take in this year and beyond that otherwise would have been lost without the arrests of the last year (assuming that there is less graft now). However, hundreds of millions have been lost in recent years that will never be recovered.