the state of food security in guatemala: policy issues · 2014-07-28 · the state of food security...
TRANSCRIPT
The State of Food Security in Guatemala: Policy Issues
Dr. Ottoniel Monterroso Institute of Agriculture, Natural Resources and the Environment
Universidad Rafael Landivar, Guatemala
With the collaboration of IICA-Guatemala and IICA-Canada
McGill Conference on Global Food Security. Montreal, October 7, 2011
Overview
• Food security indicators
• Causes of food insecurity
• Policy responses
• Conclusions
Source: FAO, 2011. The state of food insecurity in the world. Economic and Social Development Department. FAO, Rome.
Haiti Guatemala Bolivia Nicaragua
0%
10%
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30%
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50%
60%
70%
Services Manufactures Agriculture Other Mines
GDP Structure by economic activity, 2007 y 2008 (%)
Economic (GDP) Indicators
Services represents almost 60% of GDP Agriculture represents 13% GDP World Bank classifies Guatemala as a middle income economy
Source: Banguat, 2010
Food Production Indicators
Imports and exports represent less than 1% of maize and dry bean production Production has increased due to (among other things) international prices Therefore, 1: At the national level, food availability is not a problem in Guatemala
Souce: Cepal, 2009
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1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008
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ric T
onne
s (X
100
0 m
ize)
Met
ric T
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100
0 be
ans )
Production of basic grains in Guatemala, 1996-2008(Thousand Metric Tonnes)
Beans Maize
Who are the food insecure in Guatemala?
Food insecurity is located in the Highlands 70% of undernourishment among indigenous people Children: 49% of children under 5 years old with chronic undernourishment (even worse than Haiti)
Food Insecurity Map
Who are the food insecure in Guatemala?
• Food insecurity is mainly rural and indigenous: – Landless peasants – Subsistence peasants
• To a lesser degree, poor urban belts
(rural – urban migration)
Therefore, 2: One of main causes of food insecurity is food access
Poverty Map
Poverty and food security policy responses
• Policy changes over the last 20 years:
• Peace Accords (1996) • Neoliberal reforms (1996) • Agricultural policies
• Emphasis on:
• Social policy: income transfers (red line)
• Infrastructure policy: rows (blue line)
• Less emphasis in agriculture (green line)
Source: Monterroso, 2009
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1990
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Mill
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tzal
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Rural Public Expenditure, 1990–2009(Constant Quetzales)
Social Expenditure Infrastructure Agricultural productivity
Where is international cooperation investing ?
• Bilateral cooperation (blue bar): • Emphasis in agricultural
productivity and infrastructure
• Multilateral cooperation (red bar): • Emphasis in social programs, such
as health and food
• Emphasis in social policy 0%
10%
20%
30%
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90%
Productive Infrastructure Social
Bilateral and multilateral priorities in Guatemala (%)
Bilateral Multilateral
Source: IICA/USAID, 2008
Policy responses
• Guatemalan Rural policy: • US$ 272 /capita
• Latin American average: • US$140/capita
• Policy actions: – Short-term: Food provision, income transfers – Long-term: Agricultural policies (job creation)
• Therefore, 3: – Rural and food security policy is focused on effects rather on causes – Policies do not directly benefit the food insecure
Agriculture and long-term food security
• Agriculture has multiplier effects that generate agricultural and non-agricultural employment
• 2.5% economic growth in agriculture: • 5% net increase in jobs (rural and urban)
• 8.0% economic growth in non-agricultural sector: • 2.3% net increase in jobs (mainly urban)
• 5% growth in remittances: • 2% increase in jobs
Source: Barrios & Mellor (2006).
Differentiated policies
• Food transfer • Creation of agricultural jobs
• Emphasis on food security at the farm level
• Food transfers
• Agricultural policies to increase productivity and production
• Training
Agricultural policies to increase
productivity and production
Subsistence peasants
Transitional farmers
Commercial farmers
Landless peasants They benefit from job creation. In many cases, they receive remittances
• Production for own consumption • But income is not enough for food requirements • They require agricultural jobs; receive remittances
• Market orientation • But still have problems to fully link to markets • Dependency on public policies
• They generate surplus for markets • They have access to financial and input markets • Agriculture generates main share of income
However…
• Guatemala is a country of ‘activism’
• There are many projects addressing different aspects of food
security and agricultural development
• What works and why are not well understood
• There is a lack of scientific analysis and objective discussions
of policies and practices at the local level
Conclusions
• Guatemala presents some of the worst food security indicators in the hemisphere, along with Haiti, Nicaragua and Bolivia
• Food insecurity is due to food access (poverty) rather than food availability
• Policy responses have centered on symptoms, such as food provision and income transfers
• Causes of food insecurity can be addressed via the agricultural sector; differentiated by kind of peasant economy
• There is a need of analysis and discussions on food policies
Thank you