How this Guatemalan seed bank is preserving heirloom crops and saving farmers money

Growing up in the mountains of western Guatemala, Feliciano Perez Tomas cultivated the same type of native maize his family had for generations.

The breed of corn was central to his Indigenous K’iche’ community’s diet, a grain and pulse-heavy intake that dates back to the time of the Maya Civilization.

But over the years, more frequent and intense rains—linked to climate change—came earlier in the year, disrupting the harvest.

“Before it rained in March and we would sow seeds when it happened...