Some 18,500 Guatemalan farmers received training this year in 716 workshops conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, ministry spokesman Nery Calvillo told Tierramérica. “The training is provided with a trusteeship of the ministry and is aimed at improving production and storage of basic grains, like maize, beans, rice and sorghum,” said the official.

But the workshops cover a range of areas, including livestock, poultry, fish farming and animal health. The latter is part of an agreement with Mexico, which suffered a foot-and-mouth epidemic in the 1940s, said Calvillo.

“Ours is a very poor country so we must work in prevention, because if we are hit with a livestock disease like foot-and-mouth it could destroy our economy,” the spokesman said.

The courses included an environmental component, focusing on protection and risk management, “to ensure agricultural production that does not destroy our natural resources,” he said.