Concepción Huista, Huehuetenango

Fair Trade/Organic

Organic Guatemala CODECH comes from the village of Concepción Huista in the Department of Huehuetenango. Concepción Huista is located only 50 miles from the well-traveled Highway CA-1, a major transnational freeway that carries travelers from Mexico through Central America. In spite of this proximity, the village is remotely situated in mountainous highlands, fanned by the warm winds of Mexico’s Tehuantepec Plain that protect high elevation crops from frost.

Given the isolation of the region, infrastructure has been almost nonexistent, and there is limited access to education and healthcare. To overcome this, in 2000, a group of small acreage farmers founded CODECH (Coordinadora de Organizaciones de Desarrollo Concepción Huista) to promote socio-economic development for their communities. Today, CODECH has improved the overall quality of life and health of its community members—as well as the economic well-being of the region. Farmers have embraced organic growing methods and improved agronomical practices, thus increasing yield volumes and quality. The result has been access to specialty markets and securing higher prices for their crops. In addition, health programs, access to medical care, gender education, and programs to fund childhood education have enriched the lives of community members.