This is the conclusion of a study by experts from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (Cepal), the FAO and the World Food Program (WFP), which analyzes the increase in food insecurity, its causes and solutions.
When asked by Prensa Latina if it was still possible to reach the goal of zero hunger by 2030, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) official Mario Lubertkin said he remained optimistic This depends on the action of a group of actors who have to work in this direction.
“I am referring, he stressed, to governments, to civil society, to a more active and important role for the private sector, and also to the international institutions that we can accompany and guide decision-makers.”
The official explained that there is no magic solution, but they propose a series of actions in each situation that go beyond assessing the magnitude of the difficulties and problems.
Lubertkin clarified that the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals are currently further from being achieved due to the combination of different aspects, especially the first two, “zero hunger” and “poverty reduction”.
Among them, he told this agency, are the pandemic and its impact on global economic indicators, such as unemployment and deepening inequalities that exacerbated food injustice that already existed before Covid-19.
He also mentioned the war in Europe and the price increase triggered from April.
However, there is a grid of opportunities that go through government decisions such as: B. the non-restriction of international trade in food and inputs or the linking of social protection programs with agricultural transformation.
He also listed the need for information transparency, promoting efficiencies and technical support to get alternative fertilizer sources, and another menu of options that could move the needles in the right direction.
With all of this, he concluded, we might not reach the goal of zero hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean by 2030, but we would be much closer and, importantly, we would have reversed a negative trend.
jha/car/eam