A new report by several United Nations agencies, including the World Food Program (WFP), has highlighted the severe impact of climate change on food security across Latin America and the Caribbean in 2023. The study reveals that extreme weather events have exacerbated hunger problems in the region, with 36% of 439 small farms in rural Honduras and Guatemala experiencing episodic food insecurity.
The report also notes that extreme weather conditions have led to a significant increase in crop prices across multiple countries. In 2023, hot weather and drought, intensified by the El Niño phenomenon, drove up the price of corn in Argentina, Mexico, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic. Heavy rains in Ecuador resulted in a 32 to 54 percent increase in wholesale food prices. These changes have particularly affected vulnerable populations, who are more likely to suffer from food insecurity due to climate change.
Ivy Blackmore, a researcher from the University of Missouri, has been studying nutrition and agriculture among Indigenous farming communities in Ecuador. She highlights the challenges faced by small farms in rural areas, which often lack resources to cope with poor harvests.
“In more rural areas they…don’t have a lot of resources to be able to weather a poor harvest,” – Ivy Blackmore
Blackmore further explains the economic cycle these communities endure due to limited income and nutritional food availability.
“You don’t generate as much income. There’s not as much nutritious food around, so they sell what they can, and then they purchase the cheapest thing that’ll fill them up,” – Ivy Blackmore
Erosion is another significant issue impacting these regions. Blackmore notes that continuous erosion forces farmers to dig up more land for short-term survival.
“They might have a couple of good harvests. Then the erosion continues, and they dig up more,” – Ivy Blackmore
“There’s extreme erosion going on because they’re just having to sustain themselves in the short term without being able to address these long-term consequences,” – Ivy Blackmore
The UN report emphasizes that while social safety nets have contributed to a measurable decrease in undernourishment across Latin America, the region's poorest populations remain disproportionately impacted by climate change-induced food insecurity. The cost of healthy diets is the highest globally in Latin America, further complicating efforts to improve nutritional standards. Moreover, childhood and adult obesity rates have markedly increased since 2000.
