Regulatory framework
The main objective of the proposed Public Water Resources Policy is to ensure the contribution of water to the achievement of development goals and objectives and to organize activities gradually by improving the quality of public spending, promoting existing programs and adopting concrete measures to favor generating favorable conditions for integrated water management.
The Policy and Strategy proposals are based on the previously formulated situational diagnosis of water, on the relevant findings and on the proposal to adopt the paradigm of integrated water management as a means to transform the relationship between Guatemalan society and the resource.
It proposed a coordinated inter-institutional action framework based on the vision of water governance for sustainable development linked to the contributions of water to human development, the environment, and the economy..
The Irrigation Promotion Policy of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food 2013-2023, aligned with the Zero Hunger Pact and the goal of reducing malnutrition and therefore poverty in the Guatemalan countryside, sets the course and establishes the strategies to develop the irrigation in Guatemala and impact in such a way that agriculture can generate new opportunities that improve the production of food, fiber and other inputs for the industry. A policy of this magnitude will also contribute significantly to the generation of employment and comprehensive development of families, mainly those who practice peasant family farming, since much of the potential to be developed is in areas where this type of producers predominates.
The National Council on Climate Change and the Secretariat of Planning and Programming of the Presidency -SEGEPLAN-, present the National Action Plan on Climate Change -PANCC-. It appears, in an orderly manner, the actions that are considered priorities to be undertaken to reduce vulnerability, improve adaptation capacity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Guatemala in the face of the effects of the phenomenon of climate change and variability. Its purpose is to guide public institutions and the different sectors of the country in the implementation of actions focused on meeting the objectives and results set forth in the Framework Law to Regulate the Reduction of Vulnerability, Mandatory Adaptation to the Effects of Climate Change. and Greenhouse Gas Mitigation
The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, as guarantor of national environmental management and valuing the need for a change in behavior and attitudes of the entire population and sectors of the country, which facilitate forced adaptation to climate change, promotes the “Framework Law for Regulate Vulnerability Reduction, Mandatory Adaptation Faced with the Effects of Climate Change and Gas Mitigation Greenhouse Effect” (Legislative Decree 7-2013), as a tool that makes national efforts viable towards a sustainable development.
The roadmap proposed by Guatemala aligns the strategic framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with its public policies. Food and nutrition security is defined as one of the national development priorities, promoting the sustainability of food systems through the strengthening of agricultural productivity, technified family farming, and access to water and sanitation, among others. As proposals for action, Guatemala proposes to promote good production practices to increase efficiency in food systems, support scientific research and innovation projects, and promote rural extension.
This Agricultural Policy is one of the eleven sectoral policies defined in the National Policy for Comprehensive Rural Development and its Implementation Plan. The Policy prioritizes rural and indigenous populations living in poverty, extreme poverty, and with high rates of malnutrition.
In Guatemala, hydrobiological resources have contributed significantly to food security and economic activity for Guatemalans. It is therefore necessary to ensure that fishing and aquaculture are sustainable through technological improvements and the development of aquaculture.
The purpose of this law is to regulate fishing and aquaculture, standardize fishing and aquaculture activities in order to bring them into line with scientific advances, and adjust them using methods and procedures that are appropriate for the rational use and exploitation of hydrobiological resources in public waters.
The Irrigation Promotion Policy is a sectoral document with national scope covering the period 2013-2023, whose overall objective is to contribute to the economic revitalization of small and medium-sized agricultural producers and to food and nutritional security through access to irrigation. The policy aims to benefit agricultural producers who are in situations of subsistence and subsistence, as well as those with surpluses. It also aims to benefit all users of water for irrigation, including large-scale commercial irrigators, by improving the sustainability and governance of water management for agricultural purposes.
Approved budget for the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Food (MAGA) by program and activity. The document provides budget details for interventions carried out within the framework of Guatemala's agricultural development policy. The following programs are highlighted: Food Access and Availability; Research; Soil Restoration and Conservation; Support for Agricultural, Livestock, and Hydrobiological Production; Support for Animal Protection and Welfare.
The Treaty between the Republics of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras for the Implementation of the Trifinio Plan is a formal agreement between these countries with the aim of implementing the Trifinio Plan, a comprehensive development project in the shared border region known as the Trifinio Region. The treaty seeks the sustainable development of the region, improving the living conditions of its inhabitants and preserving its biological wealth. A tri-national institutional structure with administrative, financial, and technical autonomy is established, headed by the Tri-National Commission. The Trifinio Plan encompasses programs, subprograms, projects, and actions coordinated at the tri-national level for the sustainable management of natural resources and the development of communities in this region. The treaty also includes provisions on financing, stipulating that the governments of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras will contribute equitably to the financial resources necessary for the operation of the plan's institutional structure. In addition, additional technical and financial cooperation is contemplated, including grants and non-reimbursable assistance.
Guatemala's National Irrigation Policy 2024-2033 has as its main objective to expand and improve irrigation infrastructure to increase food availability and generate income in rural areas, thereby promoting economic development and stability in agricultural communities. This policy seeks to establish more efficient and sustainable water management, which is crucial for agricultural productivity growth in the face of population growth and climate variability. It also aims to reduce vulnerability to crop losses and stabilize food prices at both the local and national levels. The policy guidelines include strengthening institutional capacity for irrigation management, investing in irrigation infrastructure, and promoting technologies that enable more efficient water use. In addition, the policy focuses on ensuring that investments in irrigation are made in a way that maximizes benefits for small and medium-sized agricultural producers and on ensuring that irrigation contributes to environmental sustainability and rural economic development.
Strategic framework that establishes cooperation priorities for the IDB Group with Guatemala to help reverse the social deterioration aggravated by the pandemic and strengthen economic growth with criteria of inclusion and environmental sustainability. It focuses on three priority areas: institutional strengthening, improving the provision of basic services to vulnerable populations, and promoting the private sector for stronger, more inclusive, and sustainable growth. It incorporates gender and diversity, digital transformation, and climate change and natural disasters across all areas.
Institutional Framework
This cabinet will be responsible for coordinating and undertaking government efforts related to, among other things, the conceptualization, design, and implementation of policies, plans, projects, budgets, actions, and regulatory and financial instruments to enable the effective conservation and management of water and the water cycle for comprehensive and sustainable development goals at the national level.
We are the state institution responsible for the comprehensive rural development of the agricultural, forestry, and hydrobiological sectors, strengthening producers' productive, organizational, and commercial capacities to achieve food security, sovereignty, and competitiveness through forestry, and hydrobiological sectors, strengthening producers' productive, organizational, and commercial capacities to achieve food security, sovereignty, and competitiveness through appropriate standards and regulations for the management of products in the domestic and international markets, ensuring the sustainability of renewable natural resources. To this end, we have adequate technology, simplified processes, and principles and values that guide the actions of our human talent.
It carries out actions through the Vice Ministry of Economic and Rural Development and its two directorates, the Directorate of Agricultural Development and the Directorate of Productive Infrastructure.
The MSPAS is responsible for coordination, management, regulation, oversight, monitoring, and evaluation, as established in the Health Code and the Executive Branch Law.
The INAB is a state-owned, autonomous, decentralized entity with legal personality, its own assets, and administrative independence. It is the governing body and competent authority of the public agricultural sector in forestry matters.
SEGEPLAN is the state planning agency that provides technical advice and assistance to public institutions and the Development Council System in order to link public policy, planning, and programming processes with the National Development Plan and Policy, as well as to ensure their proper monitoring and evaluation.
Guatemala has 38 watersheds, 22 of which are transboundary, that is, shared with two neighboring countries. The assessment of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (MAGA), on groundwater potential 2011, determined that 26% of the territory has high potential - southern alluvial plains and plains-, while 47% is poor or very poor.demand represents 22% of the available water supply. Demand represents 22% of the available water supply. 37.5% was used by industry, including agribusiness. On the other hand, agricultural and forestry activities used 31.9% of the water resources.
Guatemala
The other important user -non-consumptive use-, is hydroelectric generation, which is estimated to use 24.8% .During the 2014 heat wave, the government of Guatemala registered through the Secretariat of Food and Nutritional Security (SESAN), the evaluation of damages and losses,resulting affected a total of 249,212 families in the 22 departments of the country. At that time, it was estimated that the population affected by the loss of grain crops and a drop in food reserves was 1.5 million people.
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