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Food systems and COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean

Food consumption patterns and malnutrition











​FAO and ECLAC. 2020. Food systems and COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean: Food consumption patterns and malnutrition. Santiago.



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    Stories from Africa
    Changing lives through diversified healthy foods
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    A healthy diet of fresh vegetables, proteins and fruit is a key ingredient for eliminating hunger and all forms of malnutrition and achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2, Zero Hunger by 2030. Unfortunately, a healthy diet has become an unaffordable luxury for close to 1 billion Africans, according to The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2020 report. Globally, the cost of a healthy diet is above the international poverty line, meaning that people earning less than US$1.90 per day cannot afford to eat adequate calories and nutrients from diverse food groups. Compared to other regions, this affordability crisis poses the greatest challenge in Africa. COVID-19 has compounded the problem by disrupting food supply chains and livelihoods, to different extents across the continent. Ultimately, it has meant some households are facing increased difficulties in accessing nutritious foods. That’s not all. At the height of the pandemic, movement restrictions meant fewer customers at fruit and vegetable markets in some urban centres, causing fresh produce to go to waste. Fishmongers faced similar problems. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Africa had the highest prevalence of undernourishment - more than twice the global average - and the fastest growth in the number of hungry people compared to other regions. If recent trends persist, Africa will overtake Asia to become the region with the highest number of undernourished people, accounting for half of the total in 2030. Bold actions – in communities, parliaments and internationally – are needed to transform food systems, make healthy diets affordable and drive progress towards the realization of SDG 2. FAO’s work in Africa is driven by these aims, and there are a lot of winning interventions that are bringing hope and better nutrition to many communities. Stories from Africa: Nutrition highlights FAO’s cross-cutting work on nutrition: from micro-gardens in Senegal to innovative farming techniques in Eritrea, and from raising chickens in Cameroon to promoting nutrition-sensitive agriculture in Rwanda. These hope-filled stories show that through hard work, innovation and partnerships, ending hunger and all forms of malnutrition is still possible despite the global challenges
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    Book (series)
    Latin America and the Caribbean - Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2023
    Statistics and trends
    2023
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    The 2023 edition of the Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition in Latin America and the Caribbean presents an update of the data and trends in food security and nutrition in recent years. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis and the conflict in Ukraine, as well as the economic slowdown, rising food inflation and income inequality have had an impact on regional figures. The most recent data shows that, between 2021 and 2022, progress was made in reducing hunger and food insecurity in Latin America and the Caribbean. However, the progress achieved is far from the targets established to meet SDG 2 of ending hunger. In addition, one in five people in the region cannot access a healthy diet and malnutrition in all its forms, including child stunting, micronutrient deficiencies and obesity continue to be a major challenge.
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    Journal, magazine, bulletin
    Food systems and COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean
    Impacts and opportunities in fresh food production
    2020
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    The agrifood sector, has not been immune to the Coronavirus, whose string of effects has interrupted the normal operation of food chains. In the agrifood sector, unprecedented problems have led to unprecedented challenges. In Latin America and the Caribbean, food production has not stopped; the workers, although with difficulties, appear at their workplaces. Therefore, when we evaluate in detail the impacts of COVID-19 on primary production, it seems evident that these have not been critical. However, we cannot lose sight of the coming agricultural seasons and monitor, with even more zeal, the disruptions in those sectors most vulnerable to this health, economic and social crisis. We have been foolish and stressed every time we have been able to do it that this crisis is a magnificent opportunity to rethink our production models. Due to their importance, the agrifood systems are an obligatory starting point of the long process of recovery and transformation that lies ahead.

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