By Juana Casas
SANTIAGO (Reuters) – Climate variability and extreme weather events stalk at least 20 Latin American countries and increase the risk of hunger and malnutrition in the region, according to a multi-agency United Nations study published on Monday.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
The economies of Latin America and the Caribbean are heavily dependent on farming, ranching, forestry and fishing, agricultural sectors directly linked to food security that are particularly vulnerable to droughts, floods and storms.
Scientists have cautioned that extreme weather will intensify due to climate change. As the world’s second-most exposed region, after Asia, Latin America could struggle to feed itself.
BY THE NUMBERS
Extreme weather events impacted 74% of the countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the study, with half of the countries analyzed considered likeable to face increased malnourishment as a result.
The report entitled “Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2024,” highlighted that hunger affected 41 million people, or 6.2 percent of the population, in the region in 2023.
The study documented some recent progress; the number of hungry people across the region in 2023 was 2.9 million fewer than in 2022, and down 4.3 million compared to 2021. But the study cautioned that the downward trend could be thwarted by climate threats.
KEY QUOTES
“Climate variability and extreme weather events are reducing agricultural productivity, disrupting food supply chains, increasing prices, impacting food environments and threatening progress in reducing hunger and malnutrition in the region,” the study stated.
CONTEXT
The report was conducted by five United Nations agencies; the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the Pan American Health Organization, the World Food Program and the United Nations Children’s Fund.
(Reporting by Juana Casas; Writing by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez; Editing by David Alire Garcia and Sandra Maler)
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