The Republic of Colombia, colloquially known as Colombia, is located in South America’s northwestern region. With a GDP of nearly 363 billion, it boasts the fourth-largest economy in the continent. However, despite its relative macroeconomic stability, poverty remains a pervasive issue throughout the country – currently affecting 36.6% of the population. Correlated to this rate are high levels of food insecurity, which  are also prone to spikes due to a myriad of external shocks that often comprise the nation’s sociopolitical landscape. Despite these challenges, various global organizations are engaged in initiatives to build a pathway to eventual stability and prosperity. . Below are five facts that illustrate the causes and impact of hunger in Colombia.

5 Facts About Hunger in Colombia

1. Climate: According to the World Bank, Colombia currently has the highest recurrence of extreme events in South America. With 84% of the population and 86% of its assets in regions exposed to at least two hazards, most Colombians are at high risk of infrastructure devastation and food shortages. Weather events caused by El Niño are directly responsible for creating significant impediments to agriculture and access to water resources. This phenomenon has notably crippled local and national food production systems, which has led to catastrophic repercussions including food inflation, reduced household food consumption and strained access to nutrient-dense foods. From the populations affected by these consequences, children and pregnant women are especially vulnerable to malnutrition and, in extreme cases, mortality.
2. Armed Violence: Since 1964, the Colombian conflict – an internal civil war between leftist guerilla groups, right-wing paramilitaries, criminal organizations and the state – has jeopardized the safety of millions. Today, armed violence is the preeminent cause of internal displacement in Colombia, and has forced an estimated 5.1 million people to leave their traditional food sources and livelihoods. Without effective solutions offered by the state, internally displaced people (IDPs) frequently reside in informal settlements or shelters in the capital, where they suffer from overcrowding, lack of water and poor sanitation. Exacerbating these conditions are 2.8 million refugees from Venezuela, who are similarly fleeing political and socioeconomic instabilities. As of 2023, more than half of the migrant and refugee population in Colombia were subject to acute food insecurity, which is expected to increase in the coming years.
3. Marginalization: Black and Indigenous people – as well as Afro-descendants – are historically subject to marginalization in Colombia. These groups are disproportionately targeted by criminal groups and vulnerable to human rights abuses including threats, confinement, kidnappings and killings. Additionally, according to the Colombian government’s National Development Plan of 2022 to 2026, Afro-Colombian, Raizal, Palenque and Indigenous children are also those most impacted by child poverty and malnutrition. Compared to the rest of the population, households led by these ethnic groups are largely excluded from employment opportunities and state support programs. Barred from essential resources by means of structural discrimination, black and Indigenous households in Colombia have higher levels of food insecurity than households where the head of household does not belong to a minority ethnic group.
4. Health Care: Limited access to health care services has prevented hunger-related issues such as malnutrition from subsiding. Despite recent state reforms to improve the health industry, Colombia’s health care system remains inadequate. Factors largely limiting improvement include an increase in noncommunicable diseases, the persistence of infectious diseases caused by poor sanitation and the uneven distribution of health care workers throughout the country. Those suffering from malnutrition – in particular, children – are thus unlikely to receive any or adequate care before damage to the body becomes permanent. In 2023, acute malnutrition in children under 5 was reported to have increased by 33% from the previous year, predominantly affecting those indigenous communities.
5. Advocacy Efforts: One of the leading organizations working to combat hunger in Colombia is the World Food Programme (WFP). Current areas of focus for their programs include fighting malnutrition and stunting, supplying schools with food and strengthening the state and local communities to become more resilient to external shocks. In 2023, WFP used cash-based transfers (CBT) to assist 772,029 disadvantaged individuals, including people with disabilities, survivors of gender-based violence and women-headed households. Working alongside local financial service providers, WFP was able to distribute 6,897 metric tons of locally procured food with this program, while maintaining food warehouses placed throughout the country to ensure timely distribution.

Impacted by external factors such as climate change and armed violence, hunger remains a concerning problem in Colombia that often disproportionately affects marginalized ethnic groups and vulnerable children. Although organizations such as the World Food Program have deployed both resources and funding to combat this issue, much work still lies ahead to eradicate food insecurity as a whole. Looking ahead, persistence and success by both these organizations and the state are crucial to helping hunger in Colombia reach an eventual end.

– Alondra Belford, Moon Jung Kim
Photo: Flickr

Updated: September 18, 2024