Revolutionize Corn Farming in Guatemala:
Break the cycle of hunger and malnutrition for
4,000 farming families beginning next year!

Corn. For centuries it’s been what Guatemalan farmers plant and eat. The harvest sends their children to school. The grain provides for most of their daily food. But more than food and money, corn farming is a deeply rooted way of life.

However, corn does not provide the nutrients needed for healthy living. And as a source of revenue, devastating droughts have left farmers without income and without food.

But it doesn’t need to be this way. After years of testing, we have identified a variety of corn seed that is vastly more nutritious and simultaneously resilient to drought.

Imagine the impact this could have: Mothers could feed their children tortillas with 90% of the protein that milk offers. Families could stop going hungry thanks to their drought-resistant corn crops. And not only is the seed nutritious and resilient, farmers can save it, replant it and share it with their neighbors to plant as well - creating a positive cycle of nutrition and hope.

We’re sparking a movement in the southern coast of Guatemala to have farmers grow more nutritious corn to feed their families. We’re starting with 4,000 families – but once this “pilot” proves successful, we’ll work with our partners to bring this nutritious corn to tens of thousands more families across the country.

But we need your help to make this happen!

With your support, we will be able to provide 4,000 families access to this seed, beginning the movement to improve nutrition no matter what Mother Nature throws at farmers in the next growing season.

Thanks to matching funds, your impact is tripled!
Each dollar you give is Matched 2:1
However, it’s ALL or NOTHING

If we don’t reach our goal, we have to return the funds. If we succeed, Semilla Nueva receives $60,000 to launch our national campaign and help feed 4,000 families.

What we can do with your support:
With seed reproduction already underway, we need your help to put these powerful little seeds in the hands of 4,000 Guatemalan farmers in 2016. Alongside matching funds that multiply each dollar you give by 3x, your contribution allows us to:  

• Process 40,000 pounds of seed so they’re properly stored and packaged
• Transport the seed to communities across the coast - no matter how tiny and remote they are
• Train farmers and their families to properly grow, save, and reuse the seed
• Continue teaching families how to cook and enjoy foods made with high protein corn
• Investigate additional solutions for climate change including irrigation systems and crop diversification

With everything that we do, Semilla Nueva looks for solutions that not only serve the short-term problem - getting high protein, drought resistant corn seeds to families with devastated harvests and empty stomachs- but the long-term solution too. We’re not just providing one year’s worth of seed - we’re providing an opportunity for thousands of smallholder farmers in rural Guatemala to be resilient against climate change and provide better nutrition to their families - next year, and every year afterwards.

With your help, long-term solutions can become a reality.