In a trip to Ibero-America last week, David Beasley, Executive Director of the World Food Program (WFP), warned of the rapid increase in hunger throughout the region, as a result of the worsening economic and health crises triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. A July 29 release posted to the WFP website warned that “Hunger Rises as COVID-19 Cases Surge in Latin America.” WFP is particularly concerned “about vulnerable people in Haiti, the Central American Dry Corridor as well as Venezuelan migrants in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.” Conditions are made worse as the hurricane season advances.”
According to Beasley, Latin America and the Caribbean are set to see a 269% rise in the number of people facing severe food insecurity, bringing the total to 16 million people not knowing where their next meal is coming from in coming months. In 2019, that figure stood at 4.3 million.
