Antonia Can Tiul lives in a remote, rural community in Guatemala. Her parents were farmers who focused on teaching their children to work hard in the field rather than getting an education.
When she was 11 years old, her father tragically died, and Antonia watched her mother struggle to provide for her and her siblings. Antonia did all she could to help her mother, but still they never harvested enough food to meet their needs.
Desperate to escape the hopelessness she felt, Antonia got married at only 15 years old.
Despite marrying so young, Antonia and her husband had a happy marriage. Together, they raised their five children and worked in their fields.
Yet, farming proved to be difficult, and Antonia and her husband often struggled to put food on the table. The traditional farming methods they practiced were not effective in producing healthy harvests, and they often felt the heartbreak of disappointment when they lost their crops to pest infestations.
Single Mother Farming Brings New Hope
In 2020, Antonia was hit with even worse heartbreak when her husband passed away. Like her mother, Antonia had to bear the weight of being a single mother while trying to provide for a family with a farm that just did not produce enough.
When World Renew’s partner, ADIP, started working in Antonia’s community, she was eager to join their agricultural training program. Through these sessions, she learned about sustainable farming techniques including soil conservation and pest management.
Antonia also learned about the benefits of having a kitchen garden and started growing vegetables in her backyard. She is now growing more than enough vegetables, including tomatoes, cilantro, chard, and chilies to help to feed her family—and generate additional income at the market.
Antonia says, “The changes and difficult situations I have lived through have been by God’s will [but] because of his love I met ADIP. ADIP taught me a lot. . . I have been able to realize that the way I was farming was not the best and that is why I was suffering [crop] losses.”
This determined mom now feels blessed to provide her children with nutritious meals—and to provide for their future. As she used the new farming techniques, Antonia began to enjoy more bountiful harvests, and most importantly, she began to see a future where her children would have better opportunities in life.
She says, “ADIP and World Renew’s work has given me new strength and hope to improve my living conditions and give my children the opportunity to finish their education.”
Building Lasting Food Security
Antonia’s story is one example of how World Renew works alongside farming families to build lasting food security.
Through local partners like ADIP, World Renew equips smallholder farmers with sustainable, climate-adaptive agricultural practices that help protect soil, retain moisture, manage pests, and improve harvests. By strengthening local food production and providing practical training, families are better able to grow nutritious food, increase their incomes, and build a more secure future.
Through training, kitchen gardens, and community-based agricultural programs, World Renew helps farmers gain the skills and resources they need to feed their families, strengthen their livelihoods, and build hope for the future.
