Communities in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala lose nearly all their maize and bean harvests to drought

A regional assessment conducted by Oxfam and partner organizations documented that rural communities in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras lost nearly 100% of their maize and bean crops because of drought, irregular rainfall, and the delayed start of the agricultural cycle associated with El Niño. The study covered 354 communities in 58 municipalities and 15 departments of the Central American Dry Corridor and recorded a rapid deterioration in food security, rural livelihoods, and access to water. Many families exhausted or drastically reduced their food reserves, which in some cases may last three weeks or less. The Regional Coordination for Risk Management warned that around seven million people could be at risk from the combination of drought, extreme heat, crop losses, and rising food prices. The article also reports a 99% rainfall deficit in western Pacific Nicaragua, reduced water and pasture availability in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, and the activation of alerts in El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama.