World Food Supply

The Latin American and Caribbean countries with the highest percentage of undernourished individuals at the beginning of the 21st century were Haiti, with 49 percent, or about 4 million people; Nicaragua, with 29 percent, or about 1.5 million people; and Panama, with 26 percent, or about 700,000 people. Many Latin Americans cope not only with the consequences of colonialism, but with land ownership patterns that place extensive farmlands under the control of a few wealthy individuals. Latin American countries that have attracted foreign investment in agriculture and manufacturing, such as Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, have less than 10 percent of their populations undernourished. Cuba’s social development policies have achieved similar results without substantial foreign investment.

Several organizations work to guarantee food security for people worldwide. The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), an informal association of 46 countries, promotes food security in developing countries. CGIAR maintains 16 agricultural research stations around the world, including the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture in Colombia.

The United States Department of Agriculture, while focusing on U.S. agriculture, analyzes and monitors the world food supply through the Foreign Agricultural Service and the Economic Research Service. Several nongovernmental organizations also research and analyze policy on global food supply. The World Resources Institute and the Worldwatch Institute, both in Washington, D.C., monitor trends in natural resources affecting food production. Bread for the World is a coalition of Christian groups that publishes an annual report on global hunger and works for better policies affecting hungry people.

The United Nations addresses food supply mainly through the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which provides data on nutrition, economics, agriculture, and other topics for nations worldwide and provides advice to governments in developing countries. The World Bank, a U.N. agency, provides loans and technical assistance to developing countries (see International Bank for Reconstruction and Development). The United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) lends money to help improve food production, reduce malnutrition, and provide agricultural employment in developing countries. The United Nations coordinates food aid and technical development assistance through the United Nations Development Programme. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) focuses on children’s needs. Numerous private organizations, national and international, send emergency aid and sponsor development projects to help hungry people.