[REVISION HISTORY]

Dominican Republic achieves FAO Zero-Hunger milestone

Updated 6 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-13 04:59 UTC → 2026-08-22 21:04 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The FAO’s July 2026 declaration that the Dominican Republic has reduced undernourishment to below the 2.5% threshold was reaffirmed by Director-General Qu Dongyu, who cited improvements in agricultural and livestock production. President Luis Abinader and Minister José Ignacio Paliza credited measures such as Bono Gas, Bono Luz, Aliméntate, school-feeding programmes, and economic subsidies as drivers of the achievement, noting that undernourishment fell from 8.7% in 2020 to less than 2.5%. While the milestone was praised by leaders and analysts as a “triumph of the nation,” significant challenges remain. The FAO reported that approximately 41% of the population—about 4.7 million people—still experience food insecurity, facing issues like inadequate housing and limited access to clean water. Onofre Rojas of the Fuerza del Pueblo party argued that official reports may omit the severity of moderate to severe food insecurity driven by rising food prices. Economic disparities persist. Analyses show extreme poverty affects over a quarter of the population, while the richest 10% hold 71% of national wealth. Studies from the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo and Fundación Bosch indicate that a majority of working-age men and women face reduced wages. In August 2026, during the XI Meeting of the Regional Network of Public Food Supply and Marketing Systems (SPAA 2026), President Abinader emphasized the need for resilience against climate change and global supply chain disruptions. ~~While the nation~~ The Dominican Republic has ~~exited~~ become the sixth country in Latin America to reach this milestone, joining Brazil, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Chile, and Guyana. Despite exiting the FAO Hunger Map, experts and FAO representative Rodrigo Castañeda warned of emerging nutritional challenges, specifically rising adult obesity rates—affecting approximately 30.8% of the population—and the increasing cost of healthy diets. Recent polling by AtlasIntel indicates President Abinader maintains a 55.5% approval rating among citizens with a defined opinion.

Versions

Only revisions since CLSTR began indexing content versions appear here. Select a version to see what changed compared to the one before it.