New efforts called for in Parlatino to reduce hunger in LatAm and Caribbean

President of the Latin American and Caribbean Parliament (Parlatino) and Mexican senator Blanca Alcala in Panama City on Friday highlighted the need for new efforts to eradicate hunger, since, despite successes, there is still almost 27 million people with food shortages in the region.

Alcala said that the reduction in hunger between 1990 and 2015 in this part of the world was significant, but the present situation shows that the efforts currently being made are still not enough.

The Mexican senator said this on Friday morning during the inauguration of "Climate is changing. Food and agriculture must too" Forum held at the regional parliament's headquarters in Panama's capital city.

The forum was co-sponsored by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Alcala considered that this is the time to make a balance between what has been done, what is being done and what could be changed. This includes facing the impact of climate change on food and agriculture, added the Mexican.

"We need to understand that today there are new risks," said the government official on the topic, highlighting that the world population, which keeps increasing, is expected to reach 9.6 billion people in 2050, and in order to meet such a high demand, agricultural and food systems will have to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change and become more resilient, productive and sustainable.

The sub-regional coordinator for Mesoamerica and FAO representative in Panama, Tito Diaz, considered holding the forum in Panama to be an acknowledgement to parliamentarians' struggle against poverty in the region.

Diaz also considered it relevant to discuss a modern law for food during the forum and also at times when the natural resources are degraded, that increased productivity has not been accompanied by social inclusion and which has increased the consumption of ultra-processed foods.

At the same time, Diaz highlighted the need for a series of initiatives that include appropriate institutional and legal frameworks, as well as joint actions between the agriculture, environment, education, social development and finances.

Diaz also mentioned the importance of relying on larger investments in the field and developing rural services and innovative financial mechanisms for the farmers in order to encourage a sustainable food product.

Meanwhile, Alcala re-confirmed the regional parliamentarians' commitment to promoting appropriate model laws in order to eradicate hunger and malnutrition in the region. Enditem