The covid-19 pandemic, the effects of the war in Ukraine, the inflationary scenario and the impact of climate change make it necessary to “establish agreements and materialize changes“, warned the official, who will also maintain his position as deputy director general of FAO.
“The traffic light for hunger in the region is bright yellow (…) The margins are shrinking, the numbers are going to contradict the objectives and the risks are growing every day,” warned the Uruguayan, communication expert and member of the Organization of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) since 2014.
Even so, he said, “it is not too late and the situation is not irreversible if a series of elements come together.”
According to the latest figures from the agency, hunger rose in 2021 to affect 56.5 million people —8.6% of the regional population—, four million more than in 2020when, due to the covid-19 pandemic, the figures took their biggest jump in 20 years.
Climate change
Lubetkin stressed that climate change is the main challenge on a global scale and pointed out that its effects will be more noticeable on “small and medium-sized farmers, as well as the most humble and poorly prepared sectors.” “Rains, storms, droughts… The numbers indicate that if there is no route correction, the difficulties for rural producers will be enormous,” he lamented.
To deal with it, the agri-food system must be “modified to guarantee sustainability and resilience (…) something that affects the entire process, from planting the seed, quality control, product sales, transportation, etc.”
Likewise, the official made a call to collaborate, to share knowledge and strategies and to focus on those countries “that pull down the figures”, such as Haiti (where 47.2% of people are in a situation of hunger).
“The development capacity of a region is the combination of the action of its countries, with the support of the private sector, civil society, universities… Everyone has to act. Whoever remains neutral commits irresponsibility,” he emphasized.
poverty and inequality
Latin America and the Caribbean, the most unequal region in the world, concentrates 7.4% of the world’s population that suffers from hunger, the official recalled. The most affected countries are Haiti (47.2%), Venezuela (22.9%) Nicaragua (18.6%), and the least affected are Uruguay and Cuba (less than 2.5%) and Chile (2.6 %), according to the latest report of the agency.
“In the first quarter, food products rose 11% in the region. Wheat increased 45%, oil 41%, these are very strong figures. Now it has stabilized, but very little,” he explained.
The latest FAO report suggests that the number of undernourished people in 2022 could increase in the world between 7.6 million people and 13.1 million people as a result of this conflict.
For Latin America and the Caribbean, by 2022 this would mean an increase of between 350,000 and 640,000 people, depending on the severity and future of the war.
Even so, Lubetkin was hopeful: “Potentially, this region has instruments and has opportunities like few other regions in the world. The point is in the definition and the interaction between the countries,” he concluded.
Source: Ambito
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