In Honduras, a country where political vicissitudes monopolize media attention, 72 percent of the population lives in poverty and one of four children are chronically malnourished.
As in many Latin American countries, the causes of poverty do not come as much of the underdevelopment of the unequal distribution of wealth, bad policies, corruption and official indifference. Nationally America, for example, one percent of producers concentrated one-third of the best land, while 375 000 small farmers have nowhere to grow, according to the Agrarian Platform peasant organization.
To complicate the situation, international grain prices have skyrocketed, for reasons ranging from failed crops, go and end the speculation in the pressure imposed by developed countries, which attempt to replace some of the dwindling supply of oil for biofuels.
rains last year affected the local production and had to be supplemented with imported grain, which was reflected the increase in domestic prices.
For example, maize, staple in popular food has risen 75 percent in the past nine months.
This situation directly affects more than four million people without sufficient income to cover the basic food basket, and they are most vulnerable children.
situation of children
The World Food Programme (UN WFP) reported that 240 000 Honduran children have boxes organic deficiencies due to poor intake of nutrients they receive.
Similarly, one of every four children suffers from malnutrition chronic, mostly concentrated in southern and western parts of this country, formerly known as the breadbasket of Central America.
in this region is called dry corridor covering Choluteca, Valle, Lempira and Ocotepeque. There
lost 80 percent of the harvest, first by the excessive rains during planting season from May to June 2010, after a drastic decline in rainfall since October.
A recent study revealed that as a result of low harvest of grain, more than 32 percent of families in affected areas is chronically malnourished.
The report states that in such areas monetary incomes barely cover 31 percent of the cost of basic goods and families can not meet other needs such as health and education.
Many believe that hunger is there as large as in Africa and a few weeks ago the authorities confirmed that two children died of starvation in the southern province of La Paz.
However, this area near the border with El Salvador has not been listed as critical in the strategic plan established to meet emergencies caused by hunger.
Congresswoman Gladys Aurora Lopez said the care plan only includes the municipalities South of Francisco Morazán, Choluteca and Valle.
WFP Representatives considered in this connection that in a country where 27 percent of children suffer chronic malnutrition, the problem is not only development but also security.
Miguel Barreto, WFP representative in Honduras, said that infants have problems with nutritional deficiencies of physical and intellectual development, which hinders their integration into society in an active way. That agency says
Honduras as the second Latin American country with the worst rates of child malnutrition.
in this context that the Honduran government declared 2011 as the Year of Food and Nutritional Security, and announced a strategy to ensure the right to food.
However, some governmental solutions to the problem could hurt small producers, said Fausto Lara, vice president of the National Basic Grains.
Lara said the government of everything that is received are disincentives, and that the producers feel very confused and threatened by the FTA with the United States, which will soon allow imports without customs duties.
The food entries into the country without customs duties will bring more poverty and therefore more hungry rural people, the hardest hit by food shortages.
Amid the socio-economic and political, is continuing to worsen the overall situation of children in the country.
But that scenario is not unique to Honduras. Chronic malnutrition rates in children under five years in the Central American region, are of the highest in the world, according to figures provided by international organizations.
is estimated that worldwide 800 million people go to bed each day without eating any food, of which 300 million are children.
(*) The author is a journalist from the Central Editorial Press America and the Caribbean.
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