"In A Warming World, Hunger Stalks Guatemala's Mayan Highlands"

"Crop failures are one reason an unprecedented number of migrants are heading to the U.S. border."

"A few tortillas and a half bowl of reheated beans were all Maria Concepcion Rodriguez had to feed her six children in the isolated village of El Aguacate, one day in August.

Only her three-month-old breastfed baby had height commensurate with her age. The others were stunted by undernourishment. They looked too young for their years.

Juan Carlos is the fourth oldest. At 5 years old, he stands at just 95 cm tall (roughly 3 feet.)

Juan Carlos is too short for his age, or stunted, according to global World Health Organization standards.

In 2022, 44 percent of children in Guatemala fell outside of the normal height-for-age range, according to UNICEF."

Cassandra Garrison, Clare Trainor and Sarah Slobin report for Reuters with photographs by Pilar Susan Olivares and video by Herbert Villarraga October 12, 2023.