Some of the poorest communities in the Western hemisphere are located in Central America. For years, severe droughts have been causing widespread hunger. The COVID-19 pandemic made things worse when shutdowns severely cut back on economic growth. It’s a situation that’s repeated across Latin America. Out of a population of 16 million in Guatemala, 2.3 million people have chronic malnutrition. An additional million people have joined the ranks of the malnourished since the pandemic began.

Harris Whitbeck reports on the issue of food scarcity from Guatemala.