A Coffee That Cries for Justice: Solidarity with Guatemala’s Campesinos
It is Monday, November 3, and the air is thick with the aroma of coffee, not just any ordinary coffee, but one that cries for solidarity and justice.
Our group is here to visit the Campesino Committee of the Highlands (CCDA), a vital organization that defends the rights of workers (campesinos) on large coffee, sugar, and cotton plantations. Their critical mission is to recover the ancestral lands taken from the Mayan communities.
The New Packaging of Inequality
We have the profound pleasure of meeting Neydi Juracán, a leading activist in the region. Neydi shares a sharp analysis of how state power is weaponized to oppress and dispossess Indigenous and campesino peoples. But why does this matter to Canadians, or anyone in the Global North?
In reality, this is a concern for everyone. Guatemala’s colonial plantation model hasn’t ended; it has simply evolved, dressed up in a new façade and “packaging.” Inequalities and violence are not just present, they are escalating. Oligarchs and organized crime groups continue to control the country, while extractive policies are aggressively expanding. As I listen, the question remains: How can I help?
The Unseen Burden of Women and Land
The current situation for campesino and Indigenous communities is deeply discouraging, and Neydi highlights that this reality is especially difficult for women. They account for approximately 52% of Guatemala’s population. As Neydi dishearteningly states, “This hetero-patriarchal system continues to put women and Mother Earth as objects of production and ownership.”
Many may wonder how this system persists. Though male campesinos are heavily involved in the physical workforce, the entire industry is supported by the often-ignored labour of the women behind them. By taking care of the households and supporting the men, these women enable the exploitative system to continue.
This difficult truth is compounded by the fact that only about 10% of women working in the farms (campesinas) have access to land ownership in Guatemala.
GDP Growth vs. Growing Poverty
The government attempts to whitewash these alarming inequalities and continue the dispossession of Indigenous and campesino lands. They proudly promote Guatemala’s rapidly growing Gross Domestic Product (GDP). But behind the fancy statistics presented to the stakeholders, poverty is also growing. The Northern Transversal Strip is suffering immensely from extractive projects, and people are being dispossessed with little recourse.
How can a country be proud of an increased GDP when 2023 statistics estimate that 9.7 million people (out of 18 million) are living below the poverty line? How can we talk about development and Fair Trade coffee when 6.9 million Guatemalans are living in extreme poverty?
We learned that the future is also bleak for the youth, with around 1,000 young people immigrating per day during the pandemic. This migration is particularly striking given that 52% of youth live in rural areas, precisely where the extractive policies are focused. Land is not just profitable for extractives companies, it is a glimmer of hope that they constantly seek to extinguish; this is not very different from the scorched-earth strategies used in the 1980s to undermine agrarian reform efforts.
Neydi illustrates the challenge: the government only offers land access to a few, requiring that people be illiterate to access land, and for men, having a family, while women must be single mothers. Even when youth can access land, it’s often only through banks that impose an annual rate of 16–24%, sucking the hope out of future generations.
We must never forget land is not just a means of production. For people like the Kaqchikel and Tz’utujil Indigenous communities, land is culture, heritage, history, and the very voice of Mother Earth. Without land, their identity is threatened.
The Seeds of Hope and the Call to Action
So, what is next for Guatemala? The seeds of hope remain. As long as people continue to fight to defend their ancestral right to be the guardians of Mother Earth, mobilization is possible. Organizations like the CCDA and their cooperative are essential, creating options for advocacy and demonstrating the importance of structural changes that allow campesinos to maintain their link to the land.
The inspiring words of Leocario Juracán, who was unjustly imprisoned in 2025, strike a chord: “Defending the land, the territory and human rights IS NOT A CRIME.” He adds, “Our fight and advocacy will continue until we stop being criminalized.”
The elites, governments, and investors clearly fear this mobilization, a fear evidenced by the over 3,000 arrest warrants issued against CCDA members. Leocario and Neydi continue to face charges, but their fight for land rights, alongside key partners like the Committee for Peasant Unity, persists against the “Pacto de corruptos” (a deep-rooted system of impunity).
The future is uncertain, but while the philosophy of “Utz Kaslemal/Buen Vivir” (collective well-being in harmony with nature) prevails, activists will honour the deep-rooted motto of the Kaqchikel people.
Our Duty to Mobilize: A Call to Action
The question remains: What must we do? How do we mobilize a large number of people to stop these structural injustices? Do we need 99% of the world to react to achieve change?
You might be surprised by the answer: it is not even necessary.
Research conducted by Erica Chenoweth, a professor at Harvard University, has demonstrated an astonishing fact: it only takes 3.5% of a population engaging in a non-violent civil resistance movement with conviction for major social and political changes to materialize. For example, the mobilization of approximately 3.5% of the population made it possible to overthrow the Marcos dictatorship in the Philippines in 1986.
There is much we can do immediately to reach this 3.5% threshold. Our individual participation, even if perceived as insignificant, can represent a huge difference in tipping the scales.
I am convinced that international solidarity from the Global North is capable of joining the struggle alongside our Guatemalan brothers and sisters. In this spirit of collaboration, I invite you to become part of that 3.5% by taking concrete steps to support Neydi, Leocadio, and the CCDA:
- Educate Your Sphere: Break the silence and stop disinformation. Share the CCDA’s story and the complex issues surrounding the fight for land and dignity in Guatemala.
- Support Alternatives: Directly fund and purchase coffee from the CCDA (the source of Breaking the Silence Coffee from Just Us! Coffee in Canada). Your money must actively support the creation of structural alternatives that do not perpetuate exploitation.
- Advocate for Policy Change: Demand accountability from your government for effective legislation that penalizes and stops companies involved in land dispossession in the extractive sector. If you are involved in a non-profit or a social justice organization, urge the leadership of your organization to lobby and mobilize. They can pressure policymakers to enact the necessary changes that address the root causes of the injustices affecting Guatemala.
The fight of the campesinos and Indigenous communities is a fight against the same systemic injustices we see mirrored globally. Join the fight. Mobilization is the only way forward.
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