In Chocó, 43 out of 100 households had to reduce the quantity and quality of food in 2022. And in ten out of 100 Chocoan households, at least one person went without eating for an entire day, in the last 12 months.
These data were revealed in the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) 2022, an indicator that was first presented by the National Administrative Department of Statistics (Dane) together with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations ( FAO), and which measures access to food in terms of quantity and quality.
According to the results obtained through the ‘2022 National Quality of Life Survey’, the prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in Colombia was 28.1%.
This data reflects that almost three out of every 10 households in the country had to reduce the quantity and quality of food. This fact is explained especially by the lack of economic income and other resources.
The percentage is equivalent to some 15.5 million people suffering from moderate and severe food insecurity, while 2.6 million of these suffered from hunger.
Looking at the “serious” prevalence indicator, the entities estimated that food insecurity in Colombia under this indicator was 4.9%, that is, in five out of every 100 households at least one person was left without eating throughout one day, in the last 12 months.
According to the estimates, the breakdown by departments showed that La Guajira is one of the territories in which food insecurity is most prevalent. In the moderate measure, the lack of access to food prevails in 59.7%, while in the serious indicator 17.5%.
Followed is the department of Sucre, with moderate food insecurity in 47.9% and severe in 10.4%. Continuo is Atlántico with 46.1% and 8.3%, respectively.
In turn, Magdalena registered a moderate prevalence of 45.3% and a severe prevalence of 10.4%. Likewise, Chocó was consolidated with 43.2% and 10.4%, respectively.
In other words, in Chocó in 43 out of 100 households they had to reduce the quantity and quality of food and in ten out of 100 households at least one person was left without eating for a whole day, in the last 12 months.
However, the data presented in terms of gender showed that the prevalence of food insecurity is 30.9% under a female head, while in the male head the figure is 25.9%.
Faced with the results, Maya Takagi, representative of the FAO in Colombia, stated that “there is a group of people in the country who cannot access this food due to lack of income, because they are vulnerable and in conditions of poverty. This will be important because it will help us design better policy interventions. This result is historic.”
However, other aspects to highlight is the prevalence of food insecurity in the municipal capitals. According to data from Dane, in this group of territory, 26.8% experienced moderate or severe lack of access to food. While in the serious indicator it was evidenced that 4.5% experienced this insecurity.
In rural areas it was reflected that food insecurity is higher than in urban areas. The data revealed that in the moderate aspect, 32.5% of the population suffers from this tendency, while 6.1% do so severely.
For the national total, it was reflected that if the household is made up of five people or more, the indicator reaches 39.7%; if it is four people it is 29.7%. Likewise, a lower rate is seen, although a large percentage in households of three (26.8%), two (24.4%) and one person (24.1%).