Poverty Taxes the Brain: Why Guatemalan Farmers Forget Climate-Smart

In Guatemala’s drought-stricken Dry Corridor, what farmers can recall often determines whether a season succeeds or fails. A new study in Discover Agriculture surveyed 507 smallholders in climate-adaptation training and found that the poorest participants retained far less of what they learned than better-resourced farmers. The research also links memory drop-off to the mental complexity of the practices themselves. The training, delivered by Catholic Relief Services via Raíces and RENACER programs, rolled into study regions in 2020 and 2021 and taught four water-smart practices through farmer field schools. Results were analyzed through cognitive load theory, including a new “contextual load” tied to scarcity.