Drought Worsens Food
Deficit in Central America
More than a million homes of the so-called
Mesoamerican Biological Corridor (MBC) are
threatened by the drought provoked in
Central America by climatologic phenomenon
El Niño.
According to an article published by Costa
Rican newspaper La Nacion, El Niño swept the
rains from July to September 2009 away, in a
key productive period in the MBC, which
covers the east of Guatemala, north of
Nicaragua and center and south of Honduras.
The lack of rain provoked loss of the 50
percent of corn production in some regions
and the entire production of beans,
fundamental foods for Central American
families. Small farmers were the most
affected.
Some producers try to solve the problem
eating just the corn and selling the beans,
but because of the low production, the
reserves will only endure a few days, La
Nacion said.
Poor families had to eat even the seeds
destined to the 2010 planting season, and
now they do not have enough money to but
some more.
A million homes lives on agriculture for
their survival. On this topic, the United
Nations Office for Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs said that the hunger
threatens 2 million people, among them
110,000 from Guatemala and the south of
Honduras.
The low disposal of food and the fragile
life conditions have also contributed to the
situation in the MBC.
Quiché (Guatemala), Choluteca, Morazán and
Valle (Honduras) and Nueva Segocia, Estelí
and Madriz (Nicaragua) are some of the most
affected departments. |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
