BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC)—A senior official of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) says Latin America and the Caribbean countries are leading the way toward a future without hunger.

“In a region where hunger has cast a persistent shadow for generations, from the debt crises of the 1980s through the volatility of the 1990s to the recent shock of COVID-19, an unexpected and powerful development is now emerging,” said Máximo Torero Cullen, the chief economist, the FAO assistant director-general and regional representative ad interim for Latin America and the Caribbean.

He said Latin America and the Caribbean is making significant progress in the global fight against hunger.

Cullen said after years of fragile and uneven progress, the region is now showing, for the first time in over a decade, a clear and sustained trend: undernourishment has declined from seven per cent in 2021 to 6.2 per cent in 2023, according to the latest State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024 report by FAO and its partner agencies.

He said this means that 4.3 million people are no longer suffering from hunger, and more than 37 million have overcome moderate or severe food insecurity, noting that for the first time, Latin America and the Caribbean are below the global average on this key indicator.

“This outcome is no accident. It is the result of bold decisions, innovative public policies, and strong regional cooperation. The region is showing that with political will, social investment, and a forward-looking vision, hunger is not inevitable. It is a choice,” Cullen said.

Cullen said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, Latin American countries put their capacities to the test and that over 460 social protection measures were activated to cushion the impact of economic collapse.

He said around 60 per cent of the regional population received some form of assistance, from cash transfers to direct food distribution. And when inflation severely impacted basic food prices, many governments reactivated these safety nets. Latin America did not merely endure—it learned, adapted, and protected.

“One emblematic example of this transformation is the School Feeding Programmes. More than 80 million children receive meals at school thanks to a policy that integrates nutrition, education, and rural development,” he said. “Through the Sustainable School Feeding Network (RAES), promoted by FAO and Brazil, where Belize, St Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, and Suriname take part, more than 23,000 schools have been transformed into spaces of food security. Over 9,000 family farmers have been integrated into public procurement systems, strengthening local economies. This is not just social policy—it’s smart economic policy.”

Cullen said initiatives like Hand-in-Hand also reflect a new way of thinking about development: identifying territories with agricultural potential that are trapped in poverty and building public-private investments to unlock that potential. It’s a commitment to ensure that no one, and no territory, is left behind.

But he acknowledged that challenges remain and that the Caribbean continues to show high levels of undernourishment.

Cullen said women and rural populations still face persistent inequalities. But this time, the region is not merely reacting, it is anticipating, planning, and executing. It is taking the lead.

“And it is not alone. The G20 Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, led by Brazil with technical support from FAO, offers a platform to bring these regional solutions to the world. Latin America is no longer just a recipient of aid—it is a source of global solutions.”

Cullen said that in a world with enough resources to feed everyone, hunger is a tragedy that has been created. Latin America and the Caribbean are proving that it can be dismantled.

“Today, the most unequal region in the world is delivering one of the most powerful lessons: with determination, innovation, and cooperation, Zero Hunger by 2030 is not a utopia. It is an achievable commitment. It is a future that has already begun,” the senior FAAO official said.