Climate change has put food security in southern Mexico and other countries in Central America, according to the report Regional Panorama of Food Security and Nutrition 2024. The document prepared by various agencies of the United Nations Organization (UN) indicates that 74% of Latin American nations are highly exposed to extreme meteorological phenomena such as droughts, floods and storms that affect food production and supply systems.
The report highlights that 14 Latin American and Caribbean countries meet at least one of the criteria of climate vulnerability: the economy uses more than 60% of its population in agricultural activities, local crops are especially sensitive to changes in temperature and rainfall, or experience a significant increase in hunger during periods of intense drought.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) emphasizes that the dry corridor of Central America is especially fragile against climatic disasters due to its geographical location, the recurrence of extreme events and their socio -economic deficiencies and institutional. This territory extends from southern Mexico to Panama, covering parts of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. More than one million families in this area depend on agriculture as the main livelihood. In 2019, Central American governments reported that 2.2 million people lost their crops due to drought.
“The projections indicate that, even in the most optimistic climate scenario, the performance of corn and bean crops in the region could be reduced by 20% towards the end of the century. The majority of dry corridor countries are very exposed to nutritional threats and have limited capacity to face them. As the climate changes and these phenomena become more frequent and serious, food insecurity and the deterioration of livelihoods can become a more significant migration engine, ”warns the analysis.
Climate change and its effects on food systems
Latin America and the Caribbean is the second region worldwide more exposed to extreme climatic phenomenaonly after Asia. These meteorological episodes exacerbated by climate change reduce agricultural productivity, interrupt supply chains, increase food costs and affect food systems.
“These alterations not only reduce food availability, but also modify consumption patterns and hinder access to healthy diets due to price increase and income loss. The impact is especially severe for those who depend on agriculture and natural resources to subsist. This in turn aggravates existing inequalities, ”he emphasizes.
Food insecurity increased an average of 1.5% in vulnerable countries between 2019 and 2023. However, hunger affected fewer people throughout Latin America. Around 41 million inhabitants suffered food shortages in 2023, which represents a decrease of 2.9 million compared to 2022. FAO, the International Agricultural Development Fund, the Pan American Health Organization, the World Food Program and the Fund The United Nations Childhood attributes this reduction to the economic recovery of several South America countries, the implementation of social protection programs and the development of some specific policies aimed at improving access to food
Despite this, the report concludes that world leaders must address climate variability and natural disasters such as factors that drive hunger and malnutrition. “The high vulnerability of the region in the face of climatic risks, together with poverty and inequality, have generated a pressing need to develop agri -food systems that are more inclusive as resilient,” he emphasizes.
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