A new report by five key United Nations agencies has painted a worrying picture on the likely state of food security and nutrition, going forward, in the face of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It has called on governments to focus their investments and policies on pushing back against food insecurity and hunger in the region.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic suggests a significant increase in hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition, in the coming years, the study says.
The United Nations’ FAO, UNICEF, PAHO, WFP and IFAD have said in their 2020 edition of the Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition in Latin America and the Caribbean that with the impact of the global pandemic coming at a time when food security had already been on the decline in the region, it is likely to grow even worse if policies are not urgently implemented to reverse the trend. The report focuses on the territories suffering the highest malnutrition rates, child overweight and stunting.