CONASAN on alert: drought puts crops, water, and family economies at risk in Guatemala

The National Council for Food and Nutrition Security (CONASAN) of Guatemala held an extraordinary meeting on August 28, 2026 to analyze the effects of the drought caused by a lack of rainfall and define response mechanisms. The Executive Secretariat of the Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (SE-CONRED) reported 52 days without rain, 138 municipalities with crop losses, and 236,447 affected families. As drought is a slow-onset emergency, municipalities and governorships are responsible for activating their local Emergency Operations Committees to raise the alert level to orange or red and trigger the response protocols of the National Response Plan (PNR). Under this plan, the Ministry of Social Development (MIDES) leads social protection actions, while the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (MAGA), with support from the Secretariat for Food Security and Nutrition (SESAN), facilitates food assistance. The drought is also reducing water availability in hydroelectric reservoirs and putting pressure on household economies due to a possible increase in basic food-basket prices. A monitoring dashboard was enabled to support decision-making across the territories.