School meals in Guatemala - making food systems work

Guatemala has the fourth highest rate of malnutrition in the world where over 50 per cent of children under five are stunted. Many children do not get enough nutritious food, and often came to school hungry.

IFAD teamed up with the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to set up a food chain that enables local farmers to provide fruit and vegetables for school meals.

Even when COVID-19 forced schools to close the food chain continued thanks to the strong infrastructure in place. Strong food systems are a key component to its success, a subject that will be at the heart of the UN Food Systems Summit and Pre-Summit this year.