NUTRITION

Food security. On June 21, the Organization of American States (OAS) presented the report “Confronting Food Insecurity in the Americas: Good Practices and Lessons Learned during the Covid-19 Pandemic”. This document systematizes information from 16 countries in the region on the policies and programs they have implemented to ensure food security. Finally, it also identifies priority lines of action on this issue, such as the importance of collaborating with the private sector. The report is available to Member Countries, which can use its recommendations in the development of national public policies.

According to the report, food insecurity is on the rise in several countries around the world. This is attributed to a variety of variables, such as the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, but also climate change and socioeconomic conditions, among others. For the OAS, as fiscal capacity deteriorates, the outlook for food and nutrition security remains worrisome. In this context, poor and emerging countries are the most affected by rising food prices, high transportation costs and trade disruptions.

Already in 2020, 41% of people in Latin America and the Caribbean were moderately or severely food insecure, and 14% were extremely food insecure. To respond to these challenges, countries in the Americas have relied on existing food programs, other emergency programs and incentives to help provide food to their populations.

Next Steps

The recommendations presented in the report were developed by the World Food Program (WFP) and include the need for social protection to be addressed by multiple actors, due to the importance of partnerships with the private sector and civil society. According to Betilde Muñoz-Pogossian, OAS official, “sharing this information at the regional level is of great importance to guide countries in their actions to expand and improve their efforts towards food security in the Americas”. By sharing the experiences applied by several countries in the region to address the scourge of food insecurity, other governments could apply similar measures and/or follow the recommendations of the OAS.