Please check out the A Tale of Empty Plates interactive story created by the FAO. The web story was created as part of the “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2022.”
For us in Puerto Rico, food holds a special place within most families and friends. A centerpiece around which all celebrations and farewells are grounded. Further, for most here, seeing someone who is hungry draws us into action to ensure that they have a full belly soon.
Yet, a recent survey about Food Insecurity in Puerto Rico found that 40% of those surveyed experienced food insecurity during the pandemic–up from 38% before the pandemic.
Perhaps we are blind to the problem of hunger in Puerto Rico. Perhaps 500 years of colonization has made us numb to the problem. Whatever the social, political, and economic conditions are that allow this imbalance to exist, in my opinion, are the very root of why food insecurity persists in Puerto Rico.