Data from the United Nations’ Organization for Food and Agriculture (FAO) has indicated that the pace of the reduction in the levels of malnutrition in the Dominican Republic has slowed over the last four years.
In its most recent report, “Panorama of Food and Nutritional Security in Middle American 2016” the international organization reported that the level of undernourishment was 18.1% of the country’s general population between 2009 and 2011. This rate of reduction dropped to 13% between 2012 and 2014. The percent decline in the reduction of undernourishment only declined slightly, to 12.3%, during the latest period of 2014-2016.
The undernourishment level measures the percentage of the Dominican population that is below the standard minimum level of daily food consumption. Nevertheless, the FAO stated that the Dominican Republic is one of the regional pioneers in the implementation of programs that assist at risk families to meet their daily nourishment requirements. The network of food centers (Comedores Económicos), established in 1940, is cited as a major contributor to the government-led fight against undernourishment. The FAO also mentions an increase in government spending on social programs that has risen from 6.4% of GDP in 2004 to 7.1% by 2011.
Although there have been important advances in eradicating child hunger in the country, according to the FAO, with a malnutrition rate of 4%, the country is still worse off than the average in Latin America and the Caribbean which stands at 3%. In Central America, only Mexico and Costa Rica are also below the average.
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Diario Libre
8 February 2017
