Perspectives on Business and Economics, Vol. 39, 2021 54 Introduction A study of food insecurity in Argentina demonstrates the pitfalls of government policies that use market intervention to address the impacts of supply mismanagement rather than to treat the core underlying issues. Defined as the inability to access affordable, nutritious food, 11% of Argentine families faced food insecurity in 2018 (Pellettieri, 2018). However, food insecurity is not a new challenge to Argentina’s economic development, as a food emergency was officially declared in 2002. Knowing that Argentina is a strong agricultural exporter capable of producing enough food for eight times its population, the fact that the population of food-insecure individuals is three percentage points above the average for Latin America is cause for concern. On average, countries that face prominent food insecurity have a decline in GDP by 4%. Both economic development and human capital are affected. As Argentina struggles to meet its current debt obligations by raising food export taxes, which subsequently increased the amount of food being exported, few resources are going toward its rural populations. In trying to fiscally prepare for the future, the growth of their human capital remains stagnant, something that could constrain Argentina’s subsequent development. The potential failure of long-term government policy to counteract short-term global economic forces that are damaging to the health of future generations is a topic of timely relevance to Argentina. Threat of Food Insecurity In contrast to Argentina, Latin America as a whole has seen decreasing levels of food insecurity throughout this century (Marténez et al., 2009). Specifically, there was a decrease in the population affected by hunger, from 14.7% in 1992 to 5.5% in 2014, along with a decrease in stunted children, meaning their height for age is more than two standard deviations below FOOD INSECURITY IN ARGENTINA Kira K. Stevenson Argentina is a large food exporter, famed for its prized meats and wine production. However, its agricultural prowess is at odds with the rising levels of food insecurity among its citizens. Various methods of intervention have had little success in alleviating hunger. This article investigates the sources of food insecurity along with identifying possible solutions that would put Argentina back on track to meet the Zero Hunger Sustainable Development Goal.
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