The hunger situation in the Peruvian regions of Cusco, Junín and Pasco has gone from moderate to serious, according to the latest Global Hunger Index from the NGO Alliance. RPP reported this on November 22.
The hunger situation in Peru has increased from 17.7 points in 2021 to 19.6 points in 2022, according to the latest results of the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2023. This is the most negative position that Peru has taken in the last 10 years.
Hunger levels in Peru are reported to have increased mainly due to rising inflation and the economic contraction that occurred in 2022, the alliance said in a report.
“The pandemic and climate events also influenced the growth of these indicators. Currently it is almost 20 points, and according to the methodology we use, this figure is on the border between a moderate and serious situation. This is worrying because it indicates that millions of households are going hungry in Peru.””explained the head of Helvetas Perú and representative of the Alianza2015 network, Caspar Schmidt.
To create the index, the study looked at four indicators: malnutrition (i.e. lack of nutrients, carbohydrates or vitamins), child stunting (chronic malnutrition), child wasting (acute malnutrition) and child mortality. After examining these indicators, the researchers found a clear decline in food supply.
At the end of 2022, thirteen departments were classified as having a “moderate” level of hunger (Cajamarca, Callao, Amazonas, Lima, La Libertad, Arequipa, Piura, Tumbes, Moquegua, Tacna, Ancash, San Martín and Madre de Dios). A “severe” situation was diagnosed in ten regions (Apurímac Huancavelica, Ayacucho, Huánuco, Loreto, Puno, Ucayali, Junín, Cusco and Pasco). Only two regions (Lambaeque and Ica) maintained a “low” hunger situation due to the rise of agro-exports and the growth of agro-industrial production.
Of the mentioned regions, Cusco, Junín and Pasco were the three regions that were diagnosed as “moderate” in 2021, which went to “severe” in 2023, according to the report. At the same time, Apurímac and Huancavelica are very close to an “alarming” situation with hunger levels.
“Unfortunately, the social, economic and institutional landscape of recent years has erased several years of progress, and by the end of 2022, many departments will have lost more than a decade of progress in the fight against hunger.”Schmidt noted.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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