Argentina’s wealth was once the envy of the world. That is no longer the case. The perma–crises of the past 70 years have left the country’s economy in turmoil. Plagued by untamed inflation, poverty rates reached a 20-year high in 2024, with extreme hunger in Argentina peaking alongside it. To give a sense of the problem’s scale, a 2024 UN report found that the proportion of Argentines experiencing moderate to severe food insecurity had nearly doubled over the previous seven years, reaching 36%. A separate UNICEF report of the same year said more than 1 million children a day are skipping meals due to their families not being able to afford food. 

How Argentina Reached This Point

Hunger and poverty go hand in hand. Through the 20th century, the country that was once the jewel in Latin America’s economic crown faced an endless torrent of political instability in the form of coups, populist leaders and most devastatingly a military dictatorship. This instability left the country scarred and flailing. The financial crash of 2001 immediately dispelled any hopes that the start of the 21st century would be kinder to Argentina than the back-half of the 20th had been. The results of the crash still haunt the country today.

Inflation has been the primary bugbear of the Argentine economy. In April 2024, it surpassed a staggering 289% year-on-year. The economic libertarian Javier Milei took office in December 2023 with plans to reign in the country’s out-of-control economy. His strict austerity measures have helped pull back inflation to a five-year low, now under relative control (by Argentine standards), with prices going up just 1.5% in May. But as state spending tightened, poverty rose, as did hunger in Argentina.

In the first half of 2024, the number of Argentines living in poverty reached 52.9%, up from 41.7% in the back half of the previous year. Indec reported that the Basic Food Basket (BCA) rose by 18.6% in January 2024 and by 296.4% over the previous twelve months –– outpacing overall inflation, which stood at 254.2% over the same period. Meanwhile, the Neighborhood Price Index (IBP) from the Social, Economic and Citizen Policy Research Institute (ISEPCi) indicated that food prices surged by up to 69.7% from December 2023 to March 2024. As a result, 52% of households with children reported not purchasing essential foods due to financial hardship.

Solutions

As noted, Milei’s tight monetary controls and slashing of the state have to date been a double-edged sword. Cutting inflation was much-needed, but critics claim this approach has worsened life for Argentina’s already beleaguered lower-classes. Meanwhile, organizations like Food Banks Argentina (FBA) are working to counteract hunger in Argentina. FBA is a non-profit civil association that brings together food banks across the country. It operates in all major provinces and relies on a national network of 14,000+ volunteers to coordinate logistics, food rescue and delivery.

Through food recovery and efficient distribution, FBA provides nutritious meals to those who need them most. In 2024, it delivered more than 63 million plates of food, provided support to 4,449 social organizations and prevented the emission of more than 2 million kg of CO2 by rescuing fruits and vegetables, around 45% of which are usually wasted during production and distribution.

The Results

According to the latest national figures, Argentina’s poverty rate dropped to 38.1% in the back half of 2024. Milei has claimed this as evidence that his strict economic measures are having the desired effect. As of right now, it is too soon to say if he is right.

Regardless, Argentina’s extreme poverty –– and by proxy its extreme hunger –– is not going to disappear overnight as the result of any one measure or the work of any one organization. Any long-term solution to hunger in Argentina will require a multi-pronged approach that pairs sustained economic stability with robust social safety nets and stronger support for local initiatives fighting food insecurity on the ground. Organizations like FBA will play a pivotal part in that.

– Robert Darke

Robert is based in London, UK and focuses on Global Health and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Unsplash