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Public policies halve hunger and child malnutrition rates in Latin America and the Caribbean
Criado em 03/12/13 19h19
e atualizado em 04/12/13 11h41
Por Thais Araújo
Fonte:Agência Brasil
Brasília – The introduction of successful public policies in Latin American and Caribbean countries – like allowance programs and initiatives aimed at family agriculture and decent work – has contributed to the reduction of hunger and acute child malnutrition in the region. According to the Panorama of Food and Nutrition Security 2013, the main local publication released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on Tuesday (Dec. 3) in Santiago, Chile, the percentage of people suffering from hunger fell from 14.7% in 1990-1991 to 7.9% in 2011-2013. The agency estimates that hunger currently afflict 47 million people in the region, three million fewer than the period from 2008 to 2010.
The text reports that two years short of the deadline set by the UN to fulfill the Goals of the Millennium, 16 out of 38 countries in the region – among which Brazil – have performed the task of halving the number of people afflicted by hunger, when the 1990-2015 period is taken into consideration. The agreement was signed by 189 countries in 2000. The results obtained, according to FAO, show good reasons why the countries should be hopeful that hunger and malnutrition can be eradicated.
In addition to Brazil, the same success was achieved by Argentina, Chile, Guiana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, among other countries. According to the report, the block made up of Latin America and the Caribbean achieved the most significant results in reducing world hunger in the last two decades by combining economic growth, political commitment and public measures that meet people’s social needs. Altogether, 842 million people are made victims of hunger all across the world in the 2011-2013 period – fewer than the 878 million estimated for the previous triennium, 2008-2010.
Data from the report further demonstrate that the countries with the most malnutrition cases are Haiti (49.8%), Guatemala (30.5%) and Paraguay (22.3%). As regards the fight against acute child malnutrition (low height in children up to 5 years old), there have been advances, since the regional indicator went from 13.8 million in 1990 to approximately 6.9 million in 2012, i.e., 12.8% of the total number of children in Latin America and the Caribbean. In a sub-regional analysis, Central America has the highest acute malnutrition rates among minors (18.6%), followed by South America (11.5%) and the Caribbean (6.7%). Guatemala is the country with the most acute child malnutrition cases registered in the whole region, 48%, followed by Haiti and Honduras, both with 30%. On the other hand, Chile and Jamaica have the smallest number of cases, with 2% and 5% respectively.
In spite of the malnutrition cases in Latin America and the Caribbean, the document also shows that the block has contributed significantly to food security all across the world, as it produces more food than what is necessary for its population, with food energy available, which makes it clear that hunger in the region is more intimately connected with the access to food granted to the more vulnerable sections of the population. The text also emphasizes that, during the period covered by this overview, the region has achieved relative stability in its food prices throughout 2012, but the report says that the first semester of 2013 saw larger fluctuations: “Food prices, along with family income, are key factors to giving the more vulnerable sections of the population the access to the minimum requirements worthy of a healthy diet.”
On the other hand, the number of overweight and obesity cases rise at a “pandemic” pace. They affect 23% of the adults and around 7% of children at preschool age. The report indicates that 3.8 million children below the age of five suffer from obesity in the region: “A serious public health problem, if the close relation it has with chronic non-transmissible diseases, like cardiovascular illnesses, such as diabetes, cancer and breathing disorders is taken into consideration; they account for 63% of the world’s mortality rate.” The countries most severely afflicted by obesity in adults in the region are in the Caribbean. Child overweight has grown in 13 countries, especially in Argentina (9.9%), Peru (9,8%) and Chile (9.5%).
Edited by Talita Cavalcante / Lícia Marques
Translated by Fabrício Ferreira
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