Growing the Green Business Belt

Improve spice production to enable families to reach a living income

Man holding cardamom amongst crops

Goal Ends: June 30, 2023

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  • Will support 6,250 families.
  • The average income of project families is $1,420 a year.
  • Families need an additional $3,269 per year to achieve living income.
  • Farmers will grow some of the world’s most expensive spices including cardamom, cinnamon and black pepper.

Learn About The Green Business Belt in Guatemala

Heifer's mission is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty while caring for the Earth. See More About Our Mission

One third of Guatemalans are employed in the agricultural sector. Many of these are Indigenous people concentrated in rural communities that lack basic services and farming, in particular, suffers from chronic under-investment. The result is farmers making unsustainably low incomes that fuel an endless cycle of poverty.

Yet, the country is rich in agricultural potential. Guatemala boasts a beautiful, diverse landscape — from tropical rainforests that produce some of the world’s best coffee, to mountainous forested highlands where farmers grow specialty spices including cardamom and allspice. Despite the potential, approximately 350,000 smallholder cardamom farming families live in poverty. For the agriculture sector to be profitable enough for everyone to thrive, farmers must have the tools, training, and infrastructure to make these businesses sustainable.

The Green Business Belt project will put 6,250 Guatemalan spice farmers on the path to a living income by helping women and youth to develop lucrative spice-related products and ecotourism services. The project will also work to improve forest management across 4,750 acres of biodiverse land, creating and/or strengthening inclusive green enterprises within spice value chains and market systems, and promoting community values to inspire cultural revitalization.

two men with masks on inside a factory testing the spice
woman carrying a bag of cardamom through the forest
a cardamom forest in the mountains

Your Donation Provides

  1. 2022-2023 Priorities

    ENDS JUNE 30, 2023

    THE MAJOR FUNDING NEEDS OF THE PROJECT ARE
    • Provide specialized training so families can grow spices without damaging the environment. Help women and youth develop businesses in the tourism sector.
    • Provide enough cardamom drying basins for all project farmers to develop better spice and new products from cardamom.
    • Purchase and install the technology needed so that cardamom dryer furnaces can minimize use of firewood.

FAQ

What does Heifer do?

Heifer's mission is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty while caring for the Earth. Heifer does this by providing appropriate livestock, training and related services to communities of small-scale farmers worldwide.

Are my donations tax deductible?

Heifer International is exempt from federal income tax under 26 U.S.C. Section 501(c)(3), and is a non-profit organization eligible to receive tax-deductible donations. Each donation to Heifer is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. You should consult your tax professional for specific advice.