Macro Events and Micro Responses: Experiences from Bolivia and Guatemala

Abstract

For Bolivia and Guatemala, the2007–08 food price crisis contributed to a slowdown in the economy and increased unemployment. For the poorer population the crisis meant an overstretching of the household finances and increased difficulties for ensuring household food security. Since 2010, food price increases have continued in both countries. Bolivian and Guatemalan households have coped and adapted to their current economic stress through a diverse set of mechanisms affecting not only family structures, dynamics and productivity, but also their future economic prospects. At an aggregate level, the outcomes are substantial. The reported and measured changes in dietary quality and intake have certainly had an impact on the population's nutritional status and general health. Longer-term effects at the national level will likely follow in the coming years. In both countries, the national governments need to strengthen their efforts for facilitating the access to quality employment, social protection, and to affordable and nutritious foods.