OREANDA-NEWS. Government representatives from Latin America and the Caribbean will meet in Mexico City from the 29th of February to the 3rd of March at the Regional Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO, to deepen their joint efforts to eradicate hunger and malnutrition.

The Regional Conference meets every two years and is FAO’s mayor governing body in the region. Therein, the governments of the region analyze the main challenges to food security and establish FAO’s priorities for the next two years.

According to FAO, over the last two decades Latin America and the Caribbean has made extraordinary progress in reducing hunger, becoming the region that has made the most progress worldwide.

Over 31.7 million people have overcome hunger in the region since 1990-92, with an average reduction of 1.3 million people per year. The greatest part of this progress occurred between 2000 and 2008, when close to 19 million people overcame hunger.

“This shows that we can make great progress in little time if governments give political priority to this issue," said FAO’s Regional Representative, Raúl Benitez, noting that the agreements to be reached at the FAO Regional Conference will foster progress towards the goal of ending hunger and malnutrition.

Pending challenges on the path towards zero hunger

Despite its great advances, the region still faces major challenges: 34 million people still suffer hunger while obesity affects 22% of the population, and close to four million children are overweight.

"We have to fight both faces of malnutrition, moving towards sustainable production and healthy consumption habits, preserving regional food products and diets", said Benitez.

In order to address these challenges, FAO will present to the Conference a regional initiative which will support hunger and malnutrition eradication policies, plans and strategies.

FAO will work hand in hand with all major food security agreements in the region, including the Hunger Free Latin America and the Caribbean 2025 Initiative, the CELAC Plan for Food Security, Nutrition and Hunger Eradication, the ALBA-Petrocaribe Hunger Eradication Plan, the Mesoamerica without Hunger South-South cooperation agreement, and the Parliamentary Fronts against Hunger, among others.

Climate change: a regional urgency

Another key matter to be discussed by countries during the Conference will be the need to increase regional efforts to tackle climate change and stop the degradation of natural resources.

"Climate change affects us all, but for the Caribbean and the Small Island Developing States, this is not just a matter of policy; its a matter of life or death," said Benitez.

FAO will propose to the Conference a regional initiative focused on the sustainable use of natural resources, climate change adaptation and disaster-risk management.

Fighting poverty hotspots 

Poverty affects almost half of the rural population of the region. Consequently, the third initiative proposed by FAO to the countries during the Conference will be focused on strengthening family farming and creating inclusive food systems for sustainable rural development.

Family farming is undoubtedly the basis of the regional food system, as it produces most of the food and generates most of rural jobs and employment.

“By strengthening family farming we can fight malnutrition with fresh and healthy food, improving the diversity of diets and reducing countries’ dependence on food imports and vulnerability to economic and natural shocks," said Benítez.