El Niño worsened the food situation of millions of people in Central America

The phenomenon of The boyassociated with more severe droughts in Central America, worsened the food situation of millions of people in this region, especially in the Dry Corridor, indicated this Monday a joint study by the World Food Program (WFP) and Action Against Hunger (ACH).

Experts warn that it is likely that the frequency of The boy and The girl stronger due to climate change, which is a different phenomenon since, unlike the first two, it is a long-term alteration of global or regional climate patterns due to human activities and not a natural cycle.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) expects the current El Niño climate phenomenon, which began in mid-2023, to end no later than June, after reaching maximums last December.

The impact in Central America

The greatest impact of The boy In Central America it is felt in the Dry Corridor, a strip that crosses Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala in which more than 10 million people live, many dedicated to small production of basic grains.

80% of small producers live in poverty and many people are forced to migrate from the Dry Corridor, where there are long periods of drought followed by intense rains.

Thus, some 486,000 inhabitants of the Dry Corridor in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua “They were exposed to a severe drought between April and November 2023, while an irregular increase in rainfall at the end of that year lessened the impact of the lack of water in the later agricultural season.”with estimates indicating that 347,000 people in rural areas were affected by the severe drought”.

This is indicated by WFP estimates, based on a model developed jointly with the Geographic Information System (GIS) at WFP Headquarters and the Analysis, Evaluation and Monitoring (RAM) unit of the Office. Regional Program in Panama to better understand the current effects of The boy.

“After the onset of El Niño and by July 2023, total rainfall reached the lowest level in more than 40 years in much of the Central American Dry Corridor“, indicates the report, which speaks of consequences such as agricultural losses, economic difficulties for already vulnerable small farmers, and that by March 2024 “between 1.7 and 2.7 million people” would need food assistance in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

In Guatemala, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, 360,000 hectares in the Dry Corridor, which extends through 36% of all the country’s departments, have been affected by the lack of rain due to El Niño, while Heavy rains, localized flooding, and cold fronts occurred in many Guatemalan regions during parts of the season.

El Salvador suffered significant agricultural losses due to drought conditions and heavy rains, and in Honduras the drop in rainfall increased the risk of food security in the country’s Dry Corridor.

Nicaragua’s Dry Corridor, where an estimated 20% of the country’s rural population lives, only received 30% of the total expected seasonal rainfall, which affected total crop production, in turn creating an impact on prices. of food and in the food insecurity of households dependent on the agricultural minimum wage.

Against this backdrop, WFP’s response in the region has included the execution of monetary transfer programs, delivery of goods and food assistance; the strengthening of early warning systems, as well as institutional capacities, indicated the international organization.