ReliefWeb

to assist
58 410 people

FAO requires
USD 10.2 million

period
January – December 2019

Providing agricultural support is crucial to restore vulnerable people’s livelihoods and increase their resilience.

In 2018, the persistent insecurity, increase in armed violence, the occurrence of natural disasters and migration flows have led to increased humanitarian needs in several regions of Colombia, particularly the northeastern border with Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), the southern border with Ecuador, the pacific border with Panama and the North-West.

Objectives

FAO is working with partners in the Food Security Cluster to:

• Restore and safeguard the agricultural-based livelihoods of vulnerable communities, focusing on resilience, ethnicity and gender.

• Ensure joint actions within the framework of an integrated approach that contribute to the reduction of food security- and nutrition-related risks for vulnerable people.

• Increase the capacities of communities to access food and dietary diversity.

Impact on food security

During 2018, the food security and nutrition situation of vulnerable, rural communities in Colombia has significantly deteriorated, mainly due to: • the new dynamics of selective violence, threats, massive displacement and confinement, with the reorganization of criminal bands and power disputes; • natural disasters, environmental pollution due to the effects of resource exploitation and lack of land tenure, and climate variability; and • the incoming migrants as a result of the crisis in Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) . These factors have significantly affected agricultural production as well as access and availability of food for these communities, thereby undermining their agriculture-based livelihoods. There has been an increase in the adoption of negative coping mechanisms, particularly among incoming migrants from Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), such as engaging in illegal crop production and illicit mining.

The country has experienced the continued worsening of nutrition indicators that were influenced by the mixed migratory flows from Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) as well as by structural weaknesses in food safety systems at rural level. Children are those most affected by malnutrition due to the lack of a varied and diversified diet. There is thus an immediate need to ensure access to food and restore the agriculture production of vulnerable communities.