El Niño Intensifies Climate Crisis and Threatens Latin American Food Security

• The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is driving extreme weather across Latin America, causing widespread crop losses and threatening livelihoods.
• Globally, 25.8 percent of the population experienced moderate to severe food insecurity in 2025; Latin America faces a paradox as a major food exporter with the highest cost for a healthy diet worldwide ($4.91 per person per day).
• Smallholder family farmers, who provide 80 percent of the region’s food supply, are suffering massive asset losses due to climate disruptions.

Regional Climate Forecasts

• Central American Dry Corridor, Caribbean, and Northern South America: High risk of droughts, water shortages, and heat waves.
• Pacific Coasts of Ecuador and Peru: Threatened by extreme rainfall and flooding.
• Southeastern South America: Expected to experience above-average precipitation and severe storms.

Resilience and Adaptation

• The World Food Programme (WFP) emphasizes that addressing food security requires tackling structural issues like inequality, weak social mobility, and poor dietary options, rather than just increasing output.
• Emerging solutions include early-warning systems for farmers in the Dry Corridor and the adoption of climate insurance to mitigate economic shocks.
• The International Labour Organization (ILO) warns that the 2026–2027 El Niño serves as a critical test for the institutional resilience of Latin American nations.