The Child food insecurity in Argentina reached 35.5% in 2024, affecting 4.3 million girls, boys and adolescentsaccording to the latest report of the UCA Social Debt Observatory (ODS-UA). Meanwhile, the most extreme form of the phenomenon reached 16.5% of childhoods. It is the highest level in more than a decade.
The study, entitled “Food insecurity in Argentine childhood: a structural problem observed at the current situation”warns that although the Poverty, precarious employment and inequality are historical factors, the situation worsened in recent years. Between 2010 and 2024, The trend was ascending, with peaks in 2018, during the pandemic in 2020 and in the socioeconomic crisis of the last year.
“Food insecurity especially affects poor households, with bosses or bosses with precarious labor insertion, single -parent and numerous families,” says the coordinated report by Ianina Tuñón and Agustín Salvia. Employmenthighlightis the most decisive factor.
In single-parent homes, the incidence was 12 points higher than in biparental homes throughout the 2010-2024 series. In addition, families of five or more members registered higher levels of food insecurity, with a gap that expanded in recent years.
Poverty, informal work and food insecurity
The report shows that 67% of childhoods were poor in the first half of 2024. Although there was a decline in the second semester for the inflationary deceleration and the rise of universal child allocation (AUH) and the feed card (TA), food insecurity continued at critical levels.
In regional terms, the AMBA showed the highest levels of food insecurity since 2017, although in 2024 the Interior of the country registered an increase and approached the numbers of Buenos Aires, 36% and 35%, respectively.
Schooling also appears as a protective factor: households with at least one boy or girl with educational deficit (dropout or age) had significantly higher levels of food insecurity. “This difference could be explained by multiple factors: schooling is usually associated with access to school canteens and other resources of the education system, as well as greater social integration and contact with containment and care networks,” they explain.
From 2020, the gap between the two groups is extended, which could be reflecting a more marked deterioration in the living conditions of those who are excluded from the educational system.
Another key factor for food insecurity is the type of employment that the head of the household has. Food insecurity is not static: more than half of childhood crossed it in at least one year between 2022 and 2024. He 14.8% suffered chronic food insecurity and another 9.2% worsened, while only the 44.5% He remained free during the three years.
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Households in a situation of Precarious employment, underemployment or unemployment and the homes with inactivity condition They record the highest levels of AI, with an increase especially pronounced as of 2018. In the case of the former reach peaks of 43% In 2019, 49% in 2020 and 51% In 2024, showing that the households most affected by AI in the recent period are. This trend confirms the strong association between adult instability and limited access to adequate food.
At the opposite end, households with full employment show the lowest levels of food insecurity. However, these They remain around 10%, which suggests that even in contexts of formal or stable employment, there are sectors that face structural difficulties to guarantee adequate living conditions.
The impact of the AUH and the feed card
The ODS-UA report confirms that income transfers such as Auh and the Feed card They have a protective effect: reduce food insecurity by 0.81 points on the index scale. However, its impact is limited to structural precariousness.
Between 2022 and 2024, 14.8% of boys and girls suffered chronic food insecurity, another 9.2% worsened and only 44.5% remained free of this problem during the three years.
“Understanding these dynamics is key to designing public policies that face both current emergencies and the deep causes of food insecurity,” the researchers conclude.
From the SDG-UA they warn that transfers such as AUH and TA should articulate with inclusive employment policies, early childhood development and school feeding to mitigate food risk and guarantee the right to adequate food.
Source: Ambito
