Cambodia

• Despite substantial progress in economic growth over the past two decades, socio-economic and gender inequalities persist, hampering access to a nutritious diet. Food security and nutrition face challenges caused by shocks, a rapidly changing food environment and inefficiencies in the food system.

• Undernutrition is widespread, and 32 percent of children under 5 years of age are stunted (impaired development due to malnutrition), while 10 percent suffer from wasting. This is due to a combination of factors: the food children are eating is not enough food and it does not contain the nutrients they need to grow and develop. Dietary deficiencies in zinc, iodine and B-vitamins also widely affect women of reproductive age and children.

• Undernutrition is a major contributor to mortality and decreased health and productivity.

• Seventy-nine percent of the Cambodian population lives in rural areas and they are on the front-line of a changing climate. Floods and droughts frequently threaten the food system and will increase in frequency and intensity in the future.

• Cambodia is currently ranked the eighth most vulnerable country to natural disasters, so supporting communities to prepare for and respond to disasters is key to ensure they can access nutritious foods year-round.

Burundi

• A land-locked and densely populated country in East Africa, Burundi is one of the poorest countries in the world with more than 70 percentof the population living in poverty.  Burundi has the second lowest GDP in the world.

• Food insecurity levels are alarming with 52 percentof children under 5 stunted and even higher levels of malnutrition among rural communities. The majority of the country’s poor are in rural areas, where 90 percent of people rely heavily on subsistence agriculture and informal employment. A hilly landscape makes the country vulnerable to climate-related shocks such as flooding.

• Some of the drivers of food insecurity in Burundi include poverty, rapid population growth, vulnerability to climate-related shocks, poor access to clean water, and worsening access to basic servicessuch as health and education. A high prevalence of infectious diseases, lack of diversity in diets and poor hygiene make the situation worse.

• Adding to the pressure on Burundi’s stretched resources, over 50,000refugees, mainly from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, are hosted in already food-insecure areas and rely on assistance for basic food and nutrition. Competition over scarce resources is further compounded by the return of Burundian refugees from neighbouring countries following peaceful elections in May 2020.  

• If all the food produced locally in Burundi in one year were gathered and distributed, there would only be enough to feed Burundians for 55 days.

• In Burundi, more than 50 percent of the population is chronically food insecure, and a quarter of the population (2.6 million people) is severely food insecure, putting Burundi on the same level of food security crisis with Somalia.

Guatemala

• A multi-ethnic country with a rich cultural heritage, Guatemala is a country where poverty affects people disproportionatelyin terms of food insecurity, nutrition, health and education. Guatemala faces the sixth highest level of chronic malnutrition globally. Indigenous populations, which constitutes about 40% of the population, experience higher rates of poverty, malnutrition, mortality and food insecurity.

• Almost half the population cannot afford the cost of the basic food basket.As a result, the prevalence of stunting (impaired development due to malnutrition) in children under 5 is one of the highest in the world (approximately 46%) – and the highest in Latin America and the Caribbean.  

• Guatemala is among the ten countries in the world most vulnerable to disasters and climate emergencies: over the past three years, extended dry seasons have had a severely damaging impact on the livelihoods of subsistence farmers, who rely on rain-fed agriculture – especially in the Dry Corridor.  

Charlotte,  NC

• Approximately 15% of households in Mecklenburg County struggle with food insecurity. This means that a significant portion of the population faces challenges in accessing sufficient and nutritious food.

• One of the main factors contributing to food insecurity in Mecklenburg County is poverty and the increased cost of living. The county’s poverty rate is 9.9%, compared to 13.4% of people living below the poverty line in North Carolina and 12.8% nationally.

• Despite having enough fresh, viable food, a substantial amount is thrown away every single day in the Charlotte community. This wasted food could feed each of our hungry neighbors three meals a day. The problem lies not in a shortage of food but in a food distribution issue.