The document, prepared by specialists from ECLAC, the World Food Program (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), contains a road map to face the crisis that affects millions of people.

The presentation of a summary of the text was in charge of the executive secretary of ECLAC, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, who assured that the objective of the analysis is to understand the situation and support the countries in the search for solutions.

Among the main messages of the document are the difficult access to nutrients and agricultural inputs in the area, as a consequence of several international crises, exacerbated by the effects of climate change and food inflation that accelerate the risk of suffering hunger.

Latin America and the Caribbean depend between 80 and 85 percent on the import of fertilizers, the price of which is very high and causes a reduction in harvests, exacerbating poverty among the least favored sectors, that is, small family farm units.

The study’s recommendations include reactivating social protection systems, both through monetary transfers and special school feeding programs, and promoting agricultural production aimed at family consumption.

Governments are also proposed to increase support for small farmers, break dependence on fertilizers, eliminate restrictions on international trade in this sphere and articulate a regional response to the crisis.

Mario Lubetkin, regional representative of the FAO, recalled that the escalation in nutrient prices began in 2020 and until March of this year had risen 64 points.

From Panama, via Internet, the WFP representative for Latin America and the Caribbean, Lola Castro, spoke about other risk factors, including the effects of climate crisis and the intention to migrate, which puts pressure on both sending countries and the receivers.

She warned that last November severe food insecurity affected more than 10 million people in the region.

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