• Saturday, October 30, 2010
• Inter Press Service

The concept that the state plays a key role in overcoming chronic hunger is not a new one. But the latest figures from Latin America show that more public money and social programmes alone are ineffective solutions.

Some 600,000 people in Latin America and the Caribbean escaped from hunger over the last year, but this is a drop in the ocean when 53.1 million people were underfed in the region in 2009, and 52.5 million will still be going hungry by the end of 2010.

'Countries have tried to implement programmes, but either they lack the necessary institutions, or they don't have the funds' to ensure they are effective, said Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) regional representative and assistant director-general José Graziano da Silva.

The statistics are from the report 'Panorama de la Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutricional en América Latina y el Caribe' 2010 (Overview of Food and Nutritional Security in Latin America and the Caribbean), launched Wednesday Oct. 13 by FAO. The report says stronger links are needed between economic growth and social inclusion.

'The countries that have been least affected are those that had a social protection system for the poor, combined with programmes to support productive activities,' da Silva said. Several countries in the region have implemented policies to support food production, organise trade and markets for food and agriculture, and provide social protection and food aid.

At present, 19 countries are implementing conditional income transfer programmes, like the Bolsa Familia (family grant) programme in Brazil, Oportunidades (opportunities) in Mexico and Familias en Acción (families in action) in Colombia.

© Inter Press Service (2010) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service

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