Latin America and the Caribbean

Improving food security

The Latin America and Caribbean region accounts for 25% of the world's arable land, over 40% of all tropical forests, close to 30% of all freshwater reserves, and 23% of livestock, according to the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation FAO; 2003).

Yet despite this reality, serious problems of food insecurity and malnutrition extend throughout large areas of Central and South America . They are problems exacerbated by widespread poverty, austere structural adjustment programmes, unsustainable agriculture, concentrated land ownership and other challenges that must be addressed and overcome if greater food security is to be achieved throughout the region.

Malnutrition affects about 7 million people in Central America – up from 5 million a decade ago. In Guatemala , some 46.4% of children are malnourished, followed by Honduras , Haiti and Bolivia with malnutrition rates of 38.5%, 32%, and 25.6% respectively (UNICEF; 2005). The effects of malnutrition can be irreversible, particularly when it afflicts children from the time of their birth and onwards to two years of age or more.

Examples of World Vision's response to this situation include Mexico , where nutritional meal packages are distributed to roughly 24,000 children and over 4,500 infants. Fifty nutritional training groups also lend support to hundreds of single mothers.