Colombia and Mexico face maize challenges from heatwave and preservation battles

In the municipality of Armero Guayabal in Tolima, Colombia, a severe heat wave with temperatures reaching 36 °C and heat indexes near 41 °C has dried out more than 1,000 hectares of maize. The lack of rain for about 20 days is preventing crops from completing their cycle, threatening the livelihoods of over 200 families and prompting farmers to turn the crop into silage despite limited machinery.

In the eastern part of Morelos, Mexico, indigenous communities and the Instituto de los Pueblos y Comunidades Indígenas y Afromexicanas (IPIAM) are launching a legal and cultural campaign to safeguard fourteen native maize varieties. The effort emphasizes the restoration of traditional cuexcomates granaries and coordination with state agencies to protect seed banks from climate change and the spread of genetically modified grains.