A Reimagined Solution to Hunger in Guatemala

Related Media

Critelli

PHILADELPHIA, PA (06/21/2011)(readMedia)-- Saint Joseph's sophomore Danielle Critelli, a food marketing major from Holmdel, N.J., is engaged in a summer research project which will identify the contributing factors behind hunger in Guatemala, as well as develop best practices for addressing food insecurity in the country moving forward.

The University's Summer Scholars program, which runs for 11 weeks from May until August, requires students to work exclusively with a faculty member to produce a written description of their research that will be published by the University, and to present their findings next spring during the Celebration of Student Achievement event. For her work, Critelli has received a stipend of $3,200, on-campus housing, and the opportunity to participate in social and educational programs.

The inspiration for Critelli's project comes from a recent University-sponsored mission trip to Guatemala in May 2011. There, she visited San Martin Jilotepeque, which is in the region of Chimaltenango. San Martin Jilotepeque is a town perched on a hillside not far from the Pacaya Volcano. Most of the town's inhabitants are of Mayan descent and spend their days cultivating the steep fields for corn.

Critelli witnessed first-hand the struggles of these farmers as she worked alongside them in sloped fields ravaged by recent floods.

"Nearly half of Guatemala's population suffers from chronic malnutrition," explains Critelli. The farmers, most of whom work 12-14 hour days, already spend 70 percent of their income on food. Guatemalans are in the throes of an escalating food crisis and desperate to provide for their families.

"The solution to these conditions is more complicated than throwing food at the problem," says Critelli, who was exposed to a number of outreach efforts during her stay. "The farmers need resources to salvage their fields, introduce new crops, access health care, and educate their children."

These farmers are refugees from the 36-year Guatemalan civil war, which ended in 2001. When the Peace Accords were signed in 1996, the government promised aid and assistance that never arrived. The lack of government assistance, coupled with floods that ravaged the land in 2006, has left the Mayan people with little but their gritty determination.

Critelli expects to complete her research project, "Hunger in Latin America," during the Fall 2011 semester. With the help of her faculty advisor, Martin Meloche, Ph.D., associate professor of food marketing, Critelli hopes to publish her research in an academic journal.

Contact: Carolyn Steigleman '10 (M.A.), Director of Haub School of Business Communications, csteigle@sju.edu, 610-660-1355