LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN: In Central America, food assistance continues to be provided in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua to rural families affected by the severe crisis in the coffee sector. In South America, prospects are poor for the 2003 maize crop in Ecuador due to adverse weather at planting. In Venezuela, the outlook is also poor for the coarse grain and paddy crops, mainly due to a shortage of farm inputs and scarce water availability, particularly for the paddy crop.