The digital agricultural plot to help Guatemalan farmers resist climate change

Photo: Gresia Ramos (far left) addresses digital plot participants at the agro-climatic station

In the dry corridor of Guatemala, there is a plot of land unlike any other in the country. Digital sensors provide continuous data on soil humidity, nutrient content, and the water requirements of important crops in the region. Weather stations track agroclimatic conditions, and drones are used to help manage the cultivation of important crops grown in the region according to climate-smart principles. Yet what makes the plot unique is not the technology, but the role it plays as a laboratory, collaboration and learning space for the young digital agriculture sector in Guatemala.

Video: Learn about the people and technologies involved in the digital plot (subtitles available in English)

The idea for the digital agricultural plot arose from a diploma course in digital agriculture offered at the Centro Universitario de Oriente (CUNORI) through a collaboration with the CGIAR Initiatives on Digital Innovation and AgriLAC Resiliente. After learning about the possibilities of digital agriculture, interest from the 26 diploma graduates led to the creation of the project.

“The use of digital sensors and the interpretation of that data is not yet a common part of university curricula in Guatemala” said Daniel Jimenez, senior scientist at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT. While private agricultural extension services using high-frequency data exist in Guatemala, national agencies still rely on pen and paper systems and farmer organizations need more training to use this data, according to a country assessment by CGIAR Digital Innovation that interviewed 50 organizations.

The idea of the digital plot hosted at CUNORI is to overcome these challenges by creating a new platform for professors, students and entrepreneurs, with a direct impact on food security and farmers.

Farmers in Chiquimula, located in the dry corridor of Central America, face difficult conditions such as more frequent and severe drought, in addition to hurricanes. Malnutrition is widespread in rural areas, the 44 percent rate of childhood stunting in the worst in all of Latin America, according to the World Food Programme. Farmers in this region need timely agricultural advice, especially recommendations to maintain enough moisture in the soil for crops to thrive.

Local technical agroclimatic committees are responsible for providing weather advisories and recommendations to farmers, based on the advice of researchers at institutions such as CUNORI, private and public sector actors, and farmers themselves.  However, at this stage, the recommendations are more general in nature and not yet tailored to site-specific conditions

“The digital plot aims to generate more timely recommendations for the committees, based on each crop and their water requirements, increasingly empowering CUNORI and others who are interested” said Gresia Ramos, research associate at the Alliance.

From the beginning, a user research process was used to ensure the plot was developed to meet real-world needs. ‘At first we assumed that the users would be farmers, by the end of our research we identified five main user types, and as the project developed we saw the need to focus on professor and students,” said Melissa Bonilla, research associate for digital inclusion at Alliance.

Photo: Participants and stakeholders in the digital plot

“When we arrived with the idea of digital agriculture there was some resistance at first, a perception that it is only for large-scale farmers, but when we began discussions on the digital plot they perceived it as a space to interact with the sensors in a learning context,” added Bonilla. “The professors had already identified the need students to learn about digital tools before entering the labor market where they may be expected to use digital tools.”

Aside from human capacity, the other obstacle being addressed by is the lack of digital tools tested in the Guatemalan context. Each area of the plot is testing and calibrating sensors from multiple vendors, learning which provided the best data for crops in the area at an accessible price.

There is a continuous process of user research to improve how the platform benefits the university community, students have already been inspired to focus their studies on digital agriculture and local entrepreneurs have developed their skills. “In Chiquimula, there is a labor shortage due to out-migration”, said Ramos. “With these students we are creating the idea that they could start their own business providing digital agricultural services.”

Photo: CUNORI student Alejandro Rodas demonstrates the app-controlled irrigation system he developed

The innovations and lessons learned from the digital agricultural plot in the dry corridor of Guatemala have the potential to extend far beyond its borders. Farmers in regions like the dry corridor of Honduras, or any area facing drought and other climate-related challenges, can benefit from the technologies being tested and refined in Guatemala. But it’s not just about technology; it’s also about collaboration. The partnership at CUNORI has created a platform where various user groups, including professors, students, and entrepreneurs, come together to drive agricultural innovation. This model directly impacts food security, and its success can be replicated in other regions facing similar or different food security challenges.

Currently, the focus of the plot is to continue validating more sensors while building capacity in the university to make use of the data.