Harvest of Want: Hunger and Food Security in Central America and Mexico by Scott Whiteford

Author:Scott Whiteford [Whiteford, Scott]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780429702334
Goodreads: 44598025
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2019-03-04T00:00:00+00:00

Discussion

What took place around Veintisiete de Abril appears to be yet another unfortunate example of a pattern that is developing in many areas of the world. Although rural residents have witnessed certain technological accomplishments, which have resulted in increases in certain commodities, ranging from beef cattle production to augmentations in rice and sorghum yields, relatively few people have benefited from these advances. On the contrary, from a nutritional perspective they frequently have not been able to maintain former levels. Certainly people in Veintisiete de Abril did not experience the dietary improvements that occurred in other parts of the country. Although nationally the percentage of preschool children classified as malnourished decreased by 15 percent between 1965 and 1980, during this same period the percentage of malnourished children in Veintisiete de Abril increased by 9 percent. Preschool children in the community were receiving an average of only 74 percent of the recommended caloric allowance.

It appears that the change in land-use patterns was the major cause of undernourishment. Families moved from subsistence farming to wage-laborer activities, working on commercial farms in the region. The shift from growing much of what one eats to purchasing most food is an expensive transformation. Further, in this case it probably resulted in a more restricted, less varied diet than was common during the previous decade. In spite of this, by the mid-1970s commercially packaged foods are found in Veintisiete de Abril that were not seen as late as 1980. Several times a day trucks pull into the community and unload foodstuffs of various kinds. For that minority who can afford them, tins of infant formulas, packaged white bread, commercially manufactured snack foods (many of which are sold under the brand name of "Jack's Snacks," a subsidiary of Frito Brands), plus a variety of canned fruits and vegetables are available in the several village stores.

What does the future hold? The Costa Rican government currently has no viable plans nor probably any desire to break up the landholding system in the region. In fact, former President Luis Alberto Monge's administration's theme of "Let us return to the land" was aimed at improving productivity of lands not currently in some mode of agricultural production. This means providing farmers with titles to lands in other parts of the country. Thus, as long as they remain in Veintisiete de Abril, they will not likely see an improvement in their situation in the short run. Many families left, and the region as a whole at the time of our study had the highest rate of out-migration of any area in the country (Dierckxsens et al. 1976; Schmidt de Rojas 1976). When we asked men what the opportunities for finding work around Veintisiete de Abril were, 90 percent responded that the economic situation was bleak; only a tenth of those questioned wanted to see their sons go into agriculture. Most anticipated their offspring would leave the area to find work elsewhere.

Apart from the direct effect of land-use patterns on food availability, economic organization affects children's nutritional status indirectly.

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