COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated food insecurity in South American countries

IF 6.2 1区农林科学 Q1 FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Food Security Pub Date : 2025-05-13 DOI:10.1007/s12571-025-01538-4

Carlos Frederico A. Vasconcelos-Neto, Michelle Jacob, Daniel Tregidgo, Denis Valle, Hani R. El Bizri, Sávio Marcelino Gomes, Julia E. Fa, Thais Q. Morcatty, Frederico Ozanan Barros Monteiro, Alessandra Scofield, Alessandra Matte, Willandia A. Chaves, Luiz Henrique Medeiros Borges, Antônia I. A. Silva, Dídac Santos-Fita, Tiago Lucena Silva, Isaac Ibernon Lopes-Filho, Maria Isabel Afonso Silva, Rebeca Mascarenhas Fonseca Barreto, Marcela A Oliveira, Felipe Silva Ferreira, Ricardo Rodrigues Santos, Jaime Honorato-Júnior, Marilene Vasconcelos Silva Brazil, Shirliane Araújo Sousa, Deise C. L. Oliveira, Valéria R. F. Ferreira, Hyago K. L. Soares, Marcia F. Pinto, Raone Beltrão-Mendes, Marcos Paulo Lopes Rodrigues, Wáldima Alves Rocha, Roberto Gutiérrez Poblete, Francisco Luigi Schettini, Joe S. S. Rojas, Marco A. Aspilcueta, Justo D. V. Zevallos, Giussepe Gagliardi-Urrutia, Erick Rodolfo Menéndez Delgado, Mariela Lissette Polit-Vera, Elvira Rodríguez Ríos, Juan Carlos Carrascal Velásquez, Maria Dalila Forlano Riera, Lucy Perera Romero, Danilo A. Salas Dueñas, Daniel Garin, Pedro Mayor

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered unparalleled political, economic, and social ramifications, exacerbating global food insecurity (FI). To understand the overall impact of the pandemic and how different socio-economic groups were affected, we assessed prevalence and severity of FI in a sample of 18,997 households across seven countries in South America. We employed the Food Insecurity Experience Scale developed by the FAO. Our results showed that pre-pandemic, 4.5% of the sampled population across the entire continent faced Moderate FI, while 0.6% experienced severe FI. During the pandemic, Moderate FI increased to 16.9% (+ 12.4%), and Severe FI to 2.7% (+ 2.1%). By country, pre-pandemic households in Venezuela had the highest prevalence of Moderate FI (9.7%), with Peru experiencing the highest Severe FI frequency (1.1%). Peru had the greatest rise in Moderate (+ 23.9%) and Severe FI (+ 4.6%) during the pandemic. Low-income households, defined as those earning < 2 minimum wages per month, were most susceptible to FI. Uruguayan low-income families exhibited the most significant rise (+ 40.4%) in Moderate FI, while those in Peru experienced an increase of + 9.1% in Severe FI. This study measures the profound and far-reaching impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on FI in South America. Our findings also emphasise the critical importance of implementing effective public policy interventions to improve resilience against future shocks. This would enable policymakers to develop targeted strategies that address the immediate challenges posed by pandemics as well as laying the groundwork for a more resilient and sustainable food security landscape in the region.

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COVID-19大流行加剧了南美国家的粮食不安全状况

2019冠状病毒病大流行引发了前所未有的政治、经济和社会影响，加剧了全球粮食不安全状况。为了了解大流行的总体影响以及不同社会经济群体受到的影响，我们在南美洲7个国家的18,997个家庭样本中评估了FI的患病率和严重程度。我们采用了粮农组织制定的粮食不安全体验量表。我们的结果显示，大流行前，整个大陆4.5%的样本人口面临中度FI， 0.6%经历严重FI。在大流行期间，中度FI增加到16.9%(+ 12.4%)，重度FI增加到2.7%（+ 2.1%）。按国家划分，委内瑞拉大流行前家庭的中度FI患病率最高（9.7%），秘鲁的严重FI患病率最高（1.1%）。在大流行期间，秘鲁的中度（+ 23.9%）和严重FI（+ 4.6%）增幅最大。低收入家庭（定义为每月收入最低2美元的家庭）最容易受到金融危机的影响。乌拉圭低收入家庭在中度FI中表现出最显著的增长（+ 40.4%），而秘鲁的低收入家庭在严重FI中增长了+ 9.1%。本研究测量了COVID-19大流行对南美洲FI的深刻而深远的影响。我们的研究结果还强调了实施有效的公共政策干预以提高抵御未来冲击的能力的重要性。这将使决策者能够制定有针对性的战略，以应对流行病带来的直接挑战，并为该区域更具抵御力和可持续的粮食安全格局奠定基础。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Food Security FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY-

CiteScore

14.00

自引率

6.00%

发文量

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： Food Security is a wide audience, interdisciplinary, international journal dedicated to the procurement, access (economic and physical), and quality of food, in all its dimensions. Scales range from the individual to communities, and to the world food system. We strive to publish high-quality scientific articles, where quality includes, but is not limited to, the quality and clarity of text, and the validity of methods and approaches. Food Security is the initiative of a distinguished international group of scientists from different disciplines who hold a deep concern for the challenge of global food security, together with a vision of the power of shared knowledge as a means of meeting that challenge. To address the challenge of global food security, the journal seeks to address the constraints - physical, biological and socio-economic - which not only limit food production but also the ability of people to access a healthy diet. From this perspective, the journal covers the following areas: Global food needs: the mismatch between population and the ability to provide adequate nutrition Global food potential and global food production Natural constraints to satisfying global food needs: § Climate, climate variability, and climate change § Desertification and flooding § Natural disasters § Soils, soil quality and threats to soils, edaphic and other abiotic constraints to production § Biotic constraints to production, pathogens, pests, and weeds in their effects on sustainable production The sociological contexts of food production, access, quality, and consumption. Nutrition, food quality and food safety. Socio-political factors that impinge on the ability to satisfy global food needs: § Land, agricultural and food policy § International relations and trade § Access to food § Financial policy § Wars and ethnic unrest Research policies and priorities to ensure food security in its various dimensions.