Today we celebrate World Food Day! It’s a date that should serve us to reflect not only on the positive aspects that make our region a wonderful place, but also on the challenges we face regarding food security. On one hand, Latin America and the Caribbean are a privileged region. The region boasts the largest reserves of drinking water in the world and has an enviable biodiversity with the greatest variety of species and ecosystems on the planet (IDB, 2019). Additionally, the fertility of its soils and its climatic suitability mean that the region not only produces enough food to meet the needs of its entire population, but also is the world’s leading exporter of food with 14% of agricultural exports. In fact, Latin America and the Caribbean was the only region in the world to achieve the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of reducing the proportion of people suffering from hunger by half between 1990-2015.
However, since then, the landscape has changed. Contrary to expectations, the region has seen an increase in the number of people suffering from hunger, which has increased by 12% in recent years. In fact, we have gone from having 38 million people in a state of hunger in 2014 to 42.5 million in 2018 (FAO, PAHO, WFP and UNICEF 2019). This figure is approximately equivalent to the total population of Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador… combined!
This situation is extremely worrying considering that the COVID-19 pandemic will result in a further increase in people suffering from hunger. A study by the IDB and Cornell University found that nearly 40% of the poorest households in the region have experienced hunger during the pandemic, and nearly 50% of households have had to shift their consumption towards less healthy diets.
In addition to hunger and food insecurity, the incidence of obesity and malnutrition problems have also been increasing. It is estimated that approximately 25% of the Latin American and Caribbean population suffers from obesity. This leads us to think that in the region, it is a privilege for a few to acquire healthy and nutritious food.
So how is it possible that a region that produces enough food to feed its entire population and exports food globally has an increase in the number of people suffering from hunger? Food insecurity lies in households’ lack of resources to acquire food. That is, although the food supply is more than enough at the regional or national level, poverty and economic inequality are the main factors preventing all Latin American and Caribbean households from having access to nutritious food. Let us remember that, before the COVID-19 crisis, poverty in the region had been increasing progressively, and that, furthermore, the region is the most unequal in the world. A report by UNDP in 2019 found that, in the region, the richest 10% concentrate a larger share of income than in any other region (37%), while the poorest 40% receive only 13% of income. This prevents a significant portion of Latin Americans and Caribbeans from obtaining affordable, healthy, and nutritious food steadily.
Again, this situation will be exacerbated even more by the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent reports from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) indicate that the number of people in poverty will increase by 45.4 million during 2020 to reach a total of 230.9 million people. This implies that approximately 37% of the region’s population would be in a situation of poverty.
Not addressing the problem of hunger and malnutrition will bring devastating consequences such as increased migration pressure, and greater insecurity and long-term developmental consequences for the region’s children.
Today, on World Food Day, let’s think then: What can we do about this huge challenge? Just a few days ago, the World Food Program received the Nobel Peace Prize for its contribution to reducing hunger in the world. Congratulations!, further highlighting the need to work for a world without hunger where everyone has access to healthy and nutritious food that allows them to lead a healthy life.
In this challenging scenario, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is promoting a multi-sectoral approach to hunger reduction with a comprehensive perspective that considers the food system as a whole. This implies that the problem of food shortage or food insecurity cannot and should not be focused solely on increasing the supply of food, but should also consider a demand-driven approach, with special consideration given to the nutritional status of the population. It is worth mentioning that several recent studies show a relationship between people’s nutritional status and chronic COVID-19 impact, making the need to facilitate access to healthy food in our region even more evident.
Thus, we need to work on many fronts that also consider the COVID-19 issue. These measures include, among others: (i) generating a stable supply of affordable food that provides adequate nutrition for the entire population and promoting agroecological production systems resilient to climate change that are environmentally sustainable; (ii) creating attractive economic opportunities in rural areas to adequately compensate the work of our farmers and make visible the important role they play in ensuring global food security and preserving biodiversity; (iii) investing in public goods that increase productivity, agricultural income, and employment in rural areas such as rural infrastructure (i.e. tertiary roads, electrification, potable water), health and food safety, integrated pest management, land titling, among others; (iv) generating mechanisms for the transfer of technologies to small producers, including quality technical assistance; (v) reducing the educational gap between rural and urban areas, and adapting school curricula in rural areas so that knowledge is useful for the environment in which it is developed; (vi) creating efficient short food production and distribution circuits that are environmentally friendly, facilitate access to nutritious food for vulnerable populations, and reduce carbon footprint; (vii) implementing social protection programs that protect the most vulnerable populations; (viii) reducing food loss and waste; and (ix) empowering youth, women, and indigenous communities in rural areas, reducing the gap in access to productive inputs, education, and financing.
Finally, we also need your help. Let us remember that, as consumers, it is our duty to inform ourselves about the origin of our food, prioritize foods that are produced sustainably, and value the tireless work of our farmers. And let’s not forget that access to healthy and nutritious food is a right for all, not the privilege of a few!
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