Guatemala will invest 17.2 million dollars in irrigation programs in order to boost farm production in areas afflicted by prolonged drought, Carlos Set, minister of agriculture and livestock, told Tierramérica. Irrigation systems are used in less than 20 percent of the cultivable land in this country, where nearly 70 percent of the 11.2 million inhabitants make their livelihood in farming.

“The largest portion of the population affected is indigenous, who to a great extent rely on what they grow themselves,” said Set.

The irrigation systems will officially be promoted during the third Irrigation and Water Fair to take place in the Guatemalan capital Sep. 17-21, said the minister.