USAID expands Feed the Future program to Guatemala in effort to boost incomes, food security, resilience in rural areas

The US government’s Agency for International Development recently announced it has budgeted USD 6 million to support the financial inclusion of micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises owned by people in Guatemala who are members of one or more of the following groups: women, young people and indigenous citizens. Elements of the program are aimed at “enhancing financial literacy… and helping financial service providers reach underserved rural markets with better, tailored products.” The goals include to boost savings, investments in agriculture, food security and access to digital financial services. Another part of the program is to help people who receive remittances to leverage these funds to meet community goals. The effort is part of a project called Feed the Future, which is active in 20 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.