Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: https://www.wfp.org/news/covid-19-millions-risk-severe-food-insecurity-latin-america-and-caribbean
27 May 2020
COVID-19: Millions at risk of severe food insecurity in Latin America and Caribbean
PANAMA CITY – The socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean could potentially leave around 14 million* vulnerable people in severe food insecurity this year, warranting urgent attention to save lives, according to projections by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).
“It is vital and urgent that we provide food assistance to the growing number of vulnerable people in the region, as well as those who depend on informal work,” said Miguel Barreto, WFP Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. “We still have time to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic from becoming a hunger pandemic.”
The estimate suggests that an additional 10 million people could be pushed into poverty and hunger in 11 countries in the region, including the small island developing states in the Caribbean. In 2019, 3.4 million people were facing severe food insecurity, meaning they were in an emergency-like situation and were unable to meet their basic food needs both in quantity and diversity.
The WFP projection is based on the comparison between food security assessments carried out in 2019, an analysis of economic indicators after the COVID-19 outbreak, and the results of remote surveys completed in 2020 to assess the pandemic?s impact on markets access, food security and livelihoods...
27 May 2020
COVID-19: Millions at risk of severe food insecurity in Latin America and Caribbean
PANAMA CITY – The socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean could potentially leave around 14 million* vulnerable people in severe food insecurity this year, warranting urgent attention to save lives, according to projections by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).
“It is vital and urgent that we provide food assistance to the growing number of vulnerable people in the region, as well as those who depend on informal work,” said Miguel Barreto, WFP Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. “We still have time to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic from becoming a hunger pandemic.”
The estimate suggests that an additional 10 million people could be pushed into poverty and hunger in 11 countries in the region, including the small island developing states in the Caribbean. In 2019, 3.4 million people were facing severe food insecurity, meaning they were in an emergency-like situation and were unable to meet their basic food needs both in quantity and diversity.
The WFP projection is based on the comparison between food security assessments carried out in 2019, an analysis of economic indicators after the COVID-19 outbreak, and the results of remote surveys completed in 2020 to assess the pandemic?s impact on markets access, food security and livelihoods...