MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Colombia going through acute food insecurity

In 2023, Latin America experienced an unprecedented migration crisis, with hundreds of thousands trying to reach the United States

A document released Wednesday by the Global Network Against Food Crises (GNAFC) together with the United Nation's (UN) Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) showed that, under leftwing President Gustavo Petro, Colombia had for the first time joined the list of countries going through acute food insecurity.

The document also found that the percentage of people in Latin America and the Caribbean facing this problem had decreased during 2023. The survey, which makes a distinction between residents, migrants, and refugees, found that the first category suffered “one of the highest levels of poverty, income inequality, and labor informality” in the region even in “middle- or high-income” countries where the government is equipped “to support its population.”

In Colombia, 3% of the population faced severe levels of acute food insecurity, particularly in rural areas “due to low incomes and high vulnerability to external weather events.” Regarding migrants, 62% of them were in a similar situation.

In total, the Latin American and Caribbean population immersed in food crises stood at 26.5% in 2023, a slightly lower percentage than in 2022, when it was 27.3%. Haiti continues to be the country most affected by food shortages and the only one in the region immersed in a prolonged food crisis. In 2023, it hit 4.9 million people, or 49% of the total population. The GNAFC also said that the reasons for this situation were “persistent insecurity and gang violence, coupled with high food prices, poor economic activity, and reduced agricultural production due to extreme weather conditions.”

The total number of people in the region facing food insecurity grew to 19.7 million after Colombian residents, migrants, and refugees from Peru were added to the list.

The countries where more than one million people are suffering a serious food crisis in the region are Colombia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic. Meanwhile, the situation improved in Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador, which experienced a “moderate decrease” in the number of people facing high levels of food insecurity, despite some crop losses.

The report also underlined the situation of migrant populations of Ecuador and Peru, which together account for more than one million people, and mentions difficulties accessing stable employment amid extreme weather conditions from phenomena such as El Niño. Latin America is facing a “major displacement crisis” with 12 million people forced to leave their homes.

In 2023, Latin America experienced an unprecedented migration crisis, with hundreds of thousands trying to reach the United States.

FAO is a United Nations organization that aims to increase food production worldwide.