Ending Hunger in America, 2014 Hunger Report Full Report | Page 176

In 2012, Guatemala
launched the Zero
Hunger Pact, with one
of its goals to reduce
rural poverty, especially
among indigenous
women.

Scott Bleggi/Bread for the World

166? Chapter 5

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The G-20 is not specifically a venue to discuss development assistance, but food prices
have risen to the top of its agenda. At a June 2011 meeting, agriculture ministers of the
G-20 countries called for more transparency in commodity markets and committed their
countries to collectively establish an early warning system that would collect information
on food stocks, crop supply and demand levels. The ministers agreed also “to ensure that
national food-based safety nets can work at times when food prices rise sharply and governments cannot access the food required for these safety nets at an affordable price.”38 It
is far more cost-effective—and obviously more effective in preventing human suffering and
death—to build social protection programs than to fly in emergency rations.
Responding effectively to climate change means building resilience in communities
where people have always struggled to produce
enough food. It demands strong and organized political leadership, infrastructure, and
resources at all levels—local, regional, national,
and international. Strengthening local capacity
to create and implement informed, effective
adaptation measures is vital to building resilience.
Guatemala joins a growing list of developing
countries affected by climate change. Agricultural production has fallen as a result of effects
from climate change. In some areas of the
country, it shows up as drought, while in others
climate change brings severe storms. Guatemala
has a persistently high chronic malnutrition
rate—comparable to those of the poorest countries in Africa and Asia.39 Climate change is far
from the only reason that so many Guatemalan
children are chronically malnourished. Given
the large size of the U.S. footprint on climate
change, the United States bears some responsibility for helping its neighbors to weather
the changes. Added to this question of basic
fairness is the reality that, given its proximity,
any losing battle to adapt to climate change in
Central America would almost certainly affect
the United States.
Immigration from Latin America is at the
center of the debate on immigration policy in
the United States—yet very little attention has
been paid to the conditions that drive people

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