I always had the interest in working for the rural communities, since my adolescence I was involved in a community tourism project, a project founded by local artisans and my father. With this experience I learned how powerful could be a community group when people work together not as competition but as cooperation. During this experience I had the chance to see the real problems that people from the rural communities face every day especially in terms of health and nutrition. Consequently I decided to get my bachelor degree in human nutrition given the huge nutritional problems that Guatemala faces actually.
After my bachelor’s graduation I had the chance to work for the Ministry of Public Health of Guatemala and I could verify how the hunger and malnutrition are being confronted and I really believe that it is necessary to innovate strategies, routing the objectives non only supplementation, and food aid but also in education, food production, social inclusion and economic impact.
On other hand, after my job at the Ministry I had the chance to enhance my boundaries working for the Legume Innovation Lab of Michigan State University and I have learned about different approaches in human nutrition and food security. During my 5 years of experience, working in rural development, I realized how important it is for food security to link agriculture and nutrition. Besides I have learned that a real social inclusion and strategies for environmental protection are really important to pursue a real local development.
Carolina Molina