Weather Woes: How Climate Change Affects Latin American Food

Extreme weather events, made worse by climate change, are causing trouble in Latin America’s food scene. A recent United Nations report highlights how harsh weather has driven up crop prices in countries like Argentina, Mexico, and Nicaragua. In Argentina and Mexico, for instance, corn prices skyrocketed thanks to hot weather and drought. Meanwhile, heavy rain in Ecuador boosted wholesale prices by a whopping 32 to 54 percent. The report also points out that while social safety nets have helped reduce hunger, the region’s poorest people, especially those living in rural areas, are still hurting the most. In fact, a 2020 study showed that around 36% of small farms in rural Honduras and Guatemala faced food insecurity due to bad weather. Ivy Blackmore, a researcher who studied farming communities in Ecuador, explains that when harvest is poor, farmers earn less and may rely on cheaper, less nutritious foods. Climate change isn’t just making food more expensive; it’s also pushing people towards unhealthy eating habits. As food gets pricier, many people turn to cheap, ultra-processed foods. This is a big deal in Latin America, where healthy diets are already the most expensive in the world. Worse still, obesity rates among children and adults have been climbing since 2000.