coffee harvest in Guatemala
Antonio Hermoso Matomb, with his wife Micaela Santiago, and son Francisco Hermoso, 16, pick the first of three cycles of coffee beans throughout the year. The family is working with ADIAP agricultural technician Byron Vargas. He is helping the family learn better methods of growing coffee by pruning the plant and finding which beans to pick and which ones to leave for the following picking season. While the parents only know the indigenous language to their region, their son, like many other youths, have learned how to read and write in Spanish. Hermoso has attended a specific program to teach him about growing coffee, so that he can start his own production and eventually be left the family farm. These programs also keep residents like Hermoso from leaving and instead build a stronger community.