Approximately 28.1% of households in Colombia experience severe or moderate food insecurity, meaning they have had to reduce the quantity and quality of food consumed at least once in the past year, according to data released by the Government and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Additionally, 4.9% of households faced severe food insecurity, where at least one person went without food for an entire day due to lack of funds.
These statistics are based on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), developed by the FAO and published for the first time in Colombia through the National Survey of Quality of Life (ECV), conducted by the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE).
Rural areas bear a greater burden, with a food insecurity rate of 33%, and the Colombian Caribbean departments, particularly La Guajira, Sucre, Atlántico, and Magdalena, report the highest levels.
In La Guajira, severe food insecurity affects nearly 17.5% of households, almost four times the national average.
The region has recently witnessed alarming cases of child malnutrition, with 39 out of 141 deaths among children under five attributed to malnutrition.
The data also highlight that food insecurity worsens in larger households, particularly those with more than two members.
Single-parent families, especially those headed by women, are more vulnerable.
Families with people with disabilities and households with children under five also face a higher prevalence of hunger.
These findings serve as a call to action for policymakers to develop effective interventions and policies to address food insecurity.
They provide valuable insights for designing strategies to alleviate this issue, which affects a significant portion of the population.