Chaya is a highly nutritious perennial leafy vegetable native to Mesoamerica. This drought-resistant crop has low production and consumption levels in Guatemala, but has the potential to help agriculture and food systems be more nutritious and resilient. This study analyzed the value chain of chaya in Guatemala, and identified bottlenecks and opportunities for its use-enhancement. This research, the first of its kind applied to this crop in Guatemala, combined Rapid Market Appraisal tools. Small-scale chaya production, consumption, and marketing were observed in three focal sites (Guatemala City, Petén, and Dry Corridor). It was observed that producers are not motivated to produce chaya commercially and vendors are unwilling to sell it because of low demand and profitability. One Guatemalan company identified produces nutraceutical chaya products with few sales points in the country and occasionally abroad. Low demand is a primary bottleneck in the value chain due to lack of consumer awareness, changing eating habits, limited recipes, and availability in home-gardens. There is also a reluctance to grow, consume, or sell a crop perceived as a “food of the poor.” Low prices and profitability were other constraints registered. The findings can inform future interventions for enhancing the use of this crop to fight malnutrition.

Chaya是中美洲的一种高营养多年生叶类蔬菜。这种抗旱作物在危地马拉的生产和消费水平较低，但有潜力帮助农业和粮食系统更加营养和更有弹性。这项研究分析了危地马拉chaya的价值链，并确定了其使用的瓶颈和机会。这项研究是对危地马拉这种作物的首次应用，它结合了快速市场评估工具。在三个重点地点（危地马拉城，佩滕和干走廊）观察到小规模的查亚生产，消费和销售。据观察，由于需求量低和获利能力低，生产者没有动机去生产chaya，供应商不愿出售chaya。一家危地马拉公司发现生产的保健茶产品在该国很少有销售点，有时在国外也很少。由于缺乏消费者意识，不断变化的饮食习惯，有限的食谱以及家庭菜园供应不足，低需求是价值链中的主要瓶颈。人们也不愿意种植，消费或出售被视为“穷人的食物”的农作物。低价格和盈利能力是其他限制因素。这些发现可以为将来的干预措施提供信息，以加强该作物对付营养不良的用途。或出售被视为“穷人的食物”的农作物。低价格和盈利能力是其他限制因素。这些发现可以为将来的干预措施提供信息，以加强该作物对付营养不良的用途。或出售被视为“穷人的食物”的农作物。低价格和盈利能力是其他限制因素。这些发现可以为将来的干预措施提供信息，以加强该作物对付营养不良的用途。