Food Security Extension Facilitator

Project Description

Since 1963, over 5,000 Volunteers have served in Guatemala making it one of the Peace Corps’ longest standing posts. Volunteers serve in municipalities in one of six departments in the Western Highlands. A country of striking features and a strong indigenous culture, Guatemala's natural beauty and powerful identity stand prominent in Central America. Indigenous populations make up about half of the population, with a high concentration in the Western Highlands. More than 20 indigenous languages are spoken alongside Spanish, the official tongue. Strategically located, with substantial natural resources and a young multi-ethnic population, Guatemala has enormous potential to generate growth and prosperity for its people. However, poverty and inequality in the country are persistently high. High rates of childhood stunting and lack of opportunities for youth, women and the indigenous populations threaten Guatemala’s ability to reach its full potential. Peace Corps Guatemala responds to these inequalities through strategic governmental collaborations and community empowerment within four program areas : Youth in Development, Maternal and Child Health, Community Economic Development, and Food Security Extension.

Guatemala faces high rates of food insecurity that disproportionally affects vulnerable populations living in rural areas. The government of Guatemala is working to meet the country's food insecurity challenge by strengthening its national agriculture extension system, which is implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Nutrition and focuses on rural development initiatives that provide education and technical assistance to rural farmers.

The Food Security Extension Program seeks to increase food security among rural households in Guatemala through collaboration with community partners to strengthen the delivery of national rural agricultural extension services. Extension involves working with farmers and community members on technical / agricultural issues to improve their livelihoods. The program aims to collaborate with extension agents, who are local specialists with expertise in the areas of agriculture, animal husbandry, home health, and economics, as well as with community leaders who hold an important role in sharing new knowledge with fellow farmers. These two partners have the technical knowledge and / or expertise but sometimes lack formal training on adult learning, participatory development, and inclusion strategies. Volunteers do not need to be subject-matter experts themselves. Rather, the role of the Volunteer is to work alongside extension agents and community leaders to provide one-on-one field-based instruction and / or group trainings to guide their learning in topics related to adult learning, participatory approaches to community development, organizational skills for group development, gender and social inclusion. Volunteers support participatory community development processes, promote empowerment within community groups, and provide training. Volunteers work alongside communities to conduct participatory assessments, identify gaps, available resources, develop new materials to support the work of rural development initiatives, and guide extension agents and community promoters to further develop their capacities.

Volunteers are expected to take the role of a co-facilitator and co-trainer as they facilitate continual learning processes to promote sustainability through capacity building within the national extension system and the greater community. All Volunteer engagement is intended to contribute to improved performance of the extension system workers. Through the collective efforts of all Volunteers and community partners, the program seeks to increase the agency of rural households to support and sustain increased food security. Volunteers in the community are likely to also connect with other stakeholders and organizations working towards the same goal of food security.

Climate Change Activities

As the impacts of climate change become ever more evident, the social, economic, and environmental context within which smallholder farmers seek to maintain and improve their livelihood and support their families will continue to change. This will add significantly to the challenges of smallholder farming, particularly for the most disadvantaged communities. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, you will be trained to use a participatory approach and tools to identify locally determined priorities and conditions, including those related to the impacts of climate change. As an Agriculture Volunteer, you will be trained to use this local knowledge in engaging smallholder farmers in a climate-smart approach that :

• promotes the adoption of improved, appropriate, and adaptive agricultural practices and technologies that sustainably increase productivity;
• builds and strengthens household resilience by integrating and diversifying existing and new agriculture-related income-generating opportunities; and
• reduces greenhouse gas emissions attributable to ineffective and carbon intensive farming practices and encourages adoption of agricultural practices and activities that sequester carbon.

COVID-19 Volunteer Activities

As a Volunteer, you will be trained in how to best protect yourself from COVID-19 exposure and understand the impact of and steps to reduce stigma related to COVID-19. You may also have the opportunity to engage with your community on implementing or enhancing COVID-19 mitigation activities, such as COVID-19 prevention and risk reduction strategies including social distancing, hand washing, mask wearing, addressing myths and misconceptions related to these practices, and vaccine hesitancy. Activities will be tailored to address the COVID-19 circumstances in the communities where you will serve.

Required Skills

Qualified candidates will have an expressed interest in working in agriculture and one or more of the following criteria :

Desired Skills

Competitive candidates will have one or more of the following criteria :

Required Language Skills

Candidates must meet one or more of the language requirements below in order to be considered for this position.

A. Completed 4 years of high school Spanish coursework within the past 8 years

B. Completed minimum 2 semesters of Spanish college‐level coursework within the past 6 years

C. Native / fluent speaker of Spanish

Candidates who do not meet the language proficiency levels above can take the language placement exams to demonstrate their level of proficiency. Competitive applicants typically attain a score of 50 on the Spanish College Level Examination Program CLEP exam or a score of Novice‐High on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL OPI).

Volunteers need to demonstrate an Intermediate Mid level of oral and written proficiency by the end of Pre-Service Training. Most Volunteers will work directly in Spanish, and some will work in communities with Mayan languages with support from a Spanish / Mayan speaking community member. Volunteers serving in areas where Mayan languages are spoken may study the local language once they arrive to their community to assist with integration into the community and basic communication.

Living Conditions

Work Site and Housing

Most Volunteers live in medium-sized to larger rural communities (3,000 - 40,000 people). Most communities have electricity and running water, but the supply may be intermittent. Fruits, vegetables, and meats are available within or in nearby communities. Housing typically consists of cement block structures with a private bedroom and shared kitchen, bathroom, and living rooms. The phone plan Peace Corps provides includes credit for some local calls and limited internet. Most Volunteers have access to internet in their communities either in a local internet café or by purchasing additional internet data.

Host Family Situation

Volunteers are required to live with a host family during the 10-week Pre-Service Training and during the two years of service to increase integration and for continuous orientation to the local safety and security concerns. Many Volunteers cook for themselves during service, but some opt to eat with their host family or in small local restaurants.

Diversity Challenges

While Guatemala is generally tolerant, values concerning sexual orientation and gender identity may be different from those in the U.S. Volunteers will need to be mindful of cultural norms, and use their judgement to determine the best way to approach communicating sexual orientation and gender identity in their communities and host countries. Volunteers who are of an American racial, ethnic, or national minority or whose religious or spiritual beliefs differ from the majority of their country of service may find they experience a high degree of curiosity or unwanted attention from host country nationals. Staff and currently serving Volunteers will address these topics during Pre-Service Training, and identify support mechanisms for incoming trainees.

Climate

Volunteers are placed in Guatemalan communities which may be quite mountainous and, due to the altitude, can be cool to cold at night. Dressing in layers is the best way to deal with the daily temperature variations. The sunlight is strong, even during colder temperatures.

Dress

Personal appearance is important to people in Guatemala, so professional or business casual dress is expected. Dressing appropriately helps Volunteers to gain respect in their host community, facilitate integration, and increase credibility and effectiveness. It is advised to take cues from Guatemalan colleagues, and dress to meet / exceed their standards of professionalism.

Volunteers with visible body piercings must remove them before arriving to Guatemala. Those with tattoos will need strategies to conceal them. In Guatemala, tattoos may be associated with criminal activity. Likewise, having visible body piercings may make it more difficult to integrate into the host community. Keep in mind that Peace Corps / Guatemala staff ask Volunteers to be flexible regarding personal appearance to facilitate integration in training and during service. Remaining flexible is the key to Peace Corps service in any country.

Cultural Considerations

Guatemala is a very traditional and religious society. People’s roles in regard to gender, work, and the community are much more clearly defined along gender roles than in the U.S. Volunteers must be aware, tolerant, and respectful of their practices, customs, and way of life and they may need to adapt certain behaviors to demonstrate that respect.

The cultural and security considerations for alcohol use differ greatly in Guatemala and the United States. Volunteers must understand and evaluate the social and cultural implications of alcohol use in their communities. Peace Corps service has many stressors and it is important for applicants to bring healthy self-care practices and coping strategies that will help them serve positively within country. Additional conversations and guidance on coping strategies will be shared during the Pre-Service Training period.

Serving in Guatemala

Learn more about the : Get detailed information on culture, communications, housing, health, and safety including health and crime statistics in order to make a well-informed decision about serving.

Couples Information

Peace Corps Guatemala is happy to accommodate cross-sector couples. Staff will identify communities with sufficient work opportunities for both Volunteers. Your partner can apply and must qualify for service as a :

Maternal and Child Health Promoter.

Couples will not live together during the ten weeks of Pre-Service Training. Guatemala’s community-based training model places Trainees in communities based on their technical program and Spanish level. Special considerations are given to couples so that they live in nearby communities, offering them more flexibility to see each other during training (e.g., on weekends). Peace Corps Guatemala has also found that language acquisition and cultural integration increase when each member of the couple lives with a separate host family. After training, couples will live together for the duration of their service.

The Peace Corps works to foster safe and productive assignments for same-sex couples, and same-sex couples are not placed in countries where homosexual acts are criminalized. Because of this, same-sex couples placements are more limited than heterosexual couple placements. During the application process, recruiters and placement officers work closely with same-sex couple applicants to understand current placement opportunities. For more information please visit : https : / / www.peacecorps.gov / faqs / lgbtq / .

Medical Considerations

Before you apply, please review Medical Information for Applicants to learn about the medical clearance process.