Children and families across Latin American and the Caribbean are feeling the impact of the global food crisis, and because of dwindling food stocks and the high cost of food, this crisis is expected to worsen. Caribbean countries, still affected by last year's disappointing harvests, now brace themselves for the start of this year's hurricane season. Throughout much of Latin America, the size of upcoming harvests will determine whether this crisis can be averted. Read more about how the food crisis is affecting children in Guatemala and Haiti.

Guatemala

Nebaj, Guatemala: 10 year-old Juana whose family participates in Save the Children's Guatemala Food Security Program.

In early April, the Guatemalan government declared a state of emergency, later scaling back to a state of "urgency," regarding malnutrition and hunger in the country. The Government is trying to increase production of basic grains in rural areas and revamp the fertilizer distribution program and send seeds and other inputs to farmers. Planting season has begun — which means families are entering a three- to four- month period of low access to food. Locally, there is a growing sense of urgency and a possibility that the situation for children and families, especially the most impoverished and least able to withstand price shocks, will worsen.   

Save the Children is closely monitoring the situation — especially price trends for food staples, fertilizer and supplies — in each municipality, identifying trends and appropriate response plans. Initial reports have confirmed that prices are increasing. There are widespread perceptions of food shortages and speculation that fertilizer prices will increase by as much as 75 percent in some areas. A spike in fertilizer prices, combined with higher prices of seeds and other inputs, will likely lead to diminished planting by subsistence farmers.

Haiti

In Haiti, damages to crops caused by hurricane Dean and tropical storms Noël and Olga and a longer than usual drought period have triggered price increases for everyday food items, including rice, flour and cooking oil. Since August 2007, the costs of basic food products have increased up to 80 percent. While food is available countrywide, many Haitians do not have the purchasing power to buy basic goods.

High inflation, increasing food costs and an estimated 70 percent unemployment rate have caused citizens in Port-au-Prince and several provincial towns to protest, to call for a reduction in food prices and the resulting in the dismissal of the prime minister and his government. These demonstrations turned violent, causing seven deaths, 50 injuries and damages to urban infrastructure and business establishments.

Following the resignation of the prime minister, the president announced immediate but temporary measures, including a voluntary rebate by rice importers equivalent to a 6 percent price reduction and a government subsidy amounting to a further 9 percent in the price of imported rice. He also requested that all public sector employees accept a 10 percent reduction on their salary to support vulnerable groups more affected by food crisis.

Despite apparent calm, the socio-economic situation will remain potentially volatile until the nomination and ratification of the new prime minister, Eric Pierre.  Meanwhile, consumers and civil society groups consider the decrease in rice price insignificant and continue to voice demands for downward adjustments in the prices of additional food items. 

Save the Children staff members are reporting the closure of some food distribution programs, a decrease in school attendance – two new schools in Maissade had to close their doors as parents can no longer afford school fees – and higher attendance rates in schools that serve a hot meal. Families are now forced to reduce the number of meals consumed each day, and many are using food and seed stock reserves earlier than normal and cutting trees for charcoal production. 

"This is the first time we have seen a food crisis affecting people at so many different stratum of Haitian society," reports Athus Pierre, Save the Children's food security manager in Haiti. "Even professionals have seen their purchasing power deeply eroded. One can imagine how difficult the situation is for the majority of the population where 70 percent are living on less than $2 and 50 percent on less than $1 a day. We are experiencing a tremendous increase of people begging in the streets and sometimes very aggressively."

Given the high level of degradation of its environment, Haiti is one of the most vulnerable countries in the hemisphere to natural disasters. With the 2008 hurricane season starting in June, damages from a natural disaster could easily worsen the situation.