Harvest of Want

Three children out of every four in Central America and Mexico go hungry, despite abundant arable land, skilled farmers, and a favorable climate. How did this situation develop, and why has it been allowed to persist? In many Central American countries civil war and social upheaval have meant that crop production lags behind population growth. Food aid and export-led agricultural development strategies, promoted by donor organizations and national governments alike, have only exacerbated the situation. Development strategies such as the extensive promotion of livestock production have caused environmental degradation while failing to provide affordable food for the people. Harvest of Want demonstrates how hunger and malnutrition can exist simultaneously with growth in agricultural production, especially if crops are destined for foreign markets. The book shows how national and international class interests and power relationships have meshed with donor and debt strategies to create food and nutritional deficits in many Central American and Mexican communities. The contributors conclude that hunger and malnutrition are political, not technical, problems and cannot be solved merely by improving agricultural production practices. What is needed is a social commitment to an equitable distribution of resources and the political will to provide for all groups in society.