The discussion is still open. On January 28, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), included to Colombia on a list of countries at risk of suffering hungry during 2022.
(See: Colombia’s efforts to reduce hunger in the country).
In the list, as ‘representatives’ of Latin America, there are also Haiti and Honduras.
“Food insecurity is likely to further deteriorate in Colombia in the coming months due to a combination of political instability, economic challenges, and the continuing impact of the regional migration crisis amplified by internal displacement.”, the report reads.
On January 31, the National government He published his position and said that the efforts being made against the scourge of hunger were not being recognized. Therefore, she asked that the country be removed from the list.
(See: Government criticized report on hunger in Colombia and FAO responded).
In response, the FAO representative in Colombia, Alan Bojanic, i.intervened to ensure that “the report had another intention“which precisely was”draw attention to the acute food insecurity of some populations, especially Venezuelan migrants“.
Abaco said that more than half of the Colombian population lives in food insecurity.
“However, the map did not help and makes it seem that Colombia is at the same point as other countries that are chronically insecure.“, admitted the representative.
But the issue, far from being concluded, remains open.
A week later, the Food Banks of Colombia (Abaco) made his position known and assured that “the situation of hunger in Colombia is critical”.
(See: Colombia, one of the critical areas of the world for acute hunger).
“Monetary poverty is the main cause of food insecurity, understood as the difficulty of a person to regularly access enough safe and nutritious food that allows adequate growth and development“, added the entity.
According to Abaco, and based on the guidelines given by the Colombian Family Welfare Institute (ICBF), Feeding one person in the country costs, on average, $423,000 a month and, taking into account data from the National Administrative Department of Statistics (Dane), “21 million Colombians do not have the resources to buy a basic food basket“.
From the organization they also said that there is 5 million people who suffer or suffered from chronic malnutrition in their early childhood and who today suffer its consequences.
(See: The UN responded: they present Musk with a detailed plan against hunger).
“This is not the time to look for culprits and lament the situation of insecurity
food that the country lives. It is important to put the issue on the table, understand its dimension and come together to work on comprehensive solutions”, said Juan Carlos Buitrago, executive director of Abaco.
The organization insisted that the 54.2% of the Colombian population lives in food insecurity, but that the another half of the population can help change this reality.
“Hunger is a multi-causal phenomenon and only through the articulation of the public and private sectors, the third sector, the media, academia and multilateral organizations will we be able to generate actions that have the impact that the country needs to overcome this problematic. It has been shown that disjointed efforts do not generate results and that is why we must come togetherBuitrago added.
BRIEFCASE
