Regenerative Resilience in Guatemala
Regenerative farming can look very different depending on where it’s happening. Unlike conventional farming, which takes a one-size-fits-all approach, regeneration is always rooted, literally, in the soil.
In the rainforests of Guatemala, for example, regenerative agriculture means regenerating communities as well as land.
In Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, elevated temperatures caused the first 2023-2024 harvest to be delayed, and when it finally happened it was well under what farmers had hoped.
Then, an extended drought at the beginning of 2024 severely limited another harvest. Both events resulted in a drop in cardamom yields by more than 80% in some areas.
However, in areas where agroforestry is in place, a regenerative farming method where crops are grown around and among trees, losses were considerably less.
Yogi, in partnership with Nelixia, a Guatemala-based cardamom supplier, put together over $212,000 to promote agroforestry in cardamom producing areas to protect farmers from further climate-change related risks.
Between January of 2024 and May of 2027, Yogi and Nelixia are planting over 20,000 trees on cardamom farms. Farmers are directly incentivized to plant and maintain trees, and within six months of the project 10,600 trees were already been planted.
They aren’t just any trees, either. We’re focusing on allspice, annatto, and styrax trees, each an income-producing species, giving farmers more reason to maintain them over time.
These farming techniques are a powerful way to protect vulnerable communities who bear the worst impacts of climate change. Over the coming years we’ll be planting more trees, improving water access, and providing agroecology trainings to farmers.
For more information about our regenerative work, explore our sustainability report or check out another case study here.