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March 3, 2026
Eradicating hunger is an ethical imperative and an essential condition for the
development of countries. Every step forward in reducing hunger is therefore not
only an encouraging statistic; it is a clear sign that, with strong political commitment
and sound public policies, it is possible to transform realities and improve lives.
The most recent data from the 2025 Regional Overview of Food Security and
Nutrition, published by FAO together with other United Nations agencies, confirm
that undernourishment declined for the fourth consecutive year. In 2024, it affected
5.1 per cent of the population, down from 6.1 per cent in 2020. In concrete terms, 6.2
million people no longer suffer from hunger.
This progress deserves recognition not only for its impact on the lives of those who
have escaped hunger, but also because it demonstrates that public policy decisions
adopted by countries can generate real transformation. When national authorities
show strong political commitment and promote economic recovery measures, social
protection, support to family farming, productive innovation and the promotion of
agrifood trade, among other actions, results follow.
However, we must continue to join efforts and work together, as more than 33 million
people in the region still suffer from hunger. Some 167 million face food insecurity,
181 million cannot afford a healthy diet, and 141 million adults are living with obesity.
These figures reflect a persistent paradox of the double burden of malnutrition
across all our countries: hunger coexists with overweight and obesity, nutritional
deficiencies with unhealthy diets. Access to a healthy diet also remains limited due to
its high cost, which stands at 5.16 dollars per person per day — the highest in
the world.
The high cost of a healthy diet is one of the main drivers of food insecurity and
malnutrition. It is compounded by economic challenges, limited access to fresh and
nutritious foods, and the consequences of extreme climate events that affect
agrifood systems and call for policies that strengthen their sustainability and
resilience.
Hunger both reflects and deepens poverty and inequality. Access to food and
healthy diets should not be a privilege for a few.
The upcoming 39th FAO Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean
(LARC39) represents an important opportunity for dialogue and decision-making.
This entails strengthening family farming and sustainable production systems to
eradicate hunger and poverty and reduce inequalities; expanding and improving
school feeding programmes by incorporating public procurement from family farmers
and national dietary guidelines; implementing subsidies to enable the most
vulnerable populations to access nutritious but costly foods; and promoting food
environments in cities that facilitate access to and consumption of healthy diets.
It also means strengthening and modernising food supply systems, fostering agrifood
trade to increase the availability and access to a wider variety of foods, expanding
robust social protection systems with synergies with productive inclusion
programmes and a focus on reducing hunger and poverty, investing in innovation
and digitalisation for production, productivity and climate resilience, and mobilising
financing for large-scale investments through the Hand-in-Hand Initiative.
The region has shown that progress is possible. The challenge now is to sustain that
momentum and make it inclusive, so that everyone can access sufficient, safe and
nutritious food and healthy diets.
Since 1945, FAO has supported its members through the generation of data and
scientific evidence, technical cooperation for the implementation of policies and
actions, and the mobilisation of investments.
Today, FAO is implementing its
Strategic Framework 2022–2031 across the region through four Regional Priorities
aligned with the Four Betters — Better Production, Better Nutrition, a Better
Environment and a Better Life — strengthening sustainable production, food security
and nutrition, climate action and social inclusion.
Together, we can work to develop the policies and programmes needed to drive
change and build more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems
for food security and nutrition.
By René Orellana Halkyer, Assistant Director-General and FAO Regional
Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean
