Archives May 2023

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to achieve universal equality, protect the environment and move towards leaving no one behind. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has 17 goals, which have been accepted and signed by 193 countries. These countries have committed to take the necessary actions to achieve these goals. In this article we will talk about the sustainable development goal 2: zero hunger

The need to achieve “Zero Hunger”

One of these 17 goals is to eradicate hunger in the world through food security, improved nutrition and the promotion of sustainable agriculture. According to the 2020 United Nations’ (UN) Global Report on Food Crises, around 690 million people suffer from hunger; of these, about 135 million suffer from severe hunger.

Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger

Extreme hunger and malnutrition are two of the main obstacles to achieving sustainable development and SDG 2: Zero Hunger aims to remove these barriers. What are the consequences of hunger? Hunger negatively affects people’s living conditions by causing people to be less productive and to suffer from more diseases. How can we achieve “zero hunger”? We can provide equal access to adequate, healthy and nutritious food.

What does “Zero Hunger” aim to achieve?

Some of the goals of this plan of action for 2030 are:

• End hunger and ensure access to adequate food for all people.
• End malnutrition, especially in children under 5 years of age.
• Increase agricultural productivity and sustainable food production.
• Ensure the sustainability of production systems through resilient agricultural practices.
• Increase investment in rural infrastructure, agricultural research and technological development.

Achieving these goals will ensure that there is enough safe and nutritious food for everyone.

AgroAmerica and Zero Hunger

At AgroAmerica we contribute to the achievement of this goal through 2 pillars of our sustainability strategy:

• Our operations: We have a Natural Ingredients Processing Plant and a Research and Development Laboratory focused on developing new food ingredients with high nutritional value.
• Our communities: We implemented the “Bana-Nutrition” program to fight child malnutrition by helping nearby communities produce banana flour to use as a dietary supplement in food preparation. In addition, in alliance with the Association of Independent Banana Producers, we participated in the founding of the Food Bank of Guatemala, which provides donated food resources.

Everyone can support the fight against hunger through either modest or significant actions in their own surroundings. Increasing agricultural productivity and sustainable food production will help to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

The International Labour Organization‘s (ILO) 8th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG8): “Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth and decent work for all” aims to promote full and decent employment while achieving inclusive economic development. “This drives progress to improve the living standards of all people. The eradication of poverty depends, to a certain extent, on stable work with living wages.”

What is decent work?

According to the (ILO), decent work is work that dignifies and allows the development of one’s capabilities. In other words, it is work that provides personal, economic and professional development opportunities for employees by respecting labor rights and principles, providing a fair income according to the work performed, promoting inclusion, protecting people socially and encouraging dialogue. Decent work is characterized by four elements:

1. Rights at work
2. Employment opportunities
3. Social protection
4. Social dialogue

What are the SDG8 targets?

Some of the goals that are expected to be achieved by 2030 are:

1. Sustain economic growth according to the local context and increase Gross Domestic Product.
2. Achieve higher levels of productivity of economies through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation.
3. Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value.
4. Eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and end all forms of child labour.
5. Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers.

We are doing business the right way

At AgroAmerica, we respect the rights of all our employees and we work with suppliers that are also committed to following the principles and practices of decent work. This minimizes operational risks while optimizing costs and allows transparent and responsible access to new markets. To ensure this, our Human Rights Policy was updated in 2021 to reaffirm our commitment to the people who work with us.

Human rights training for employees

Additionally, we provide training for our staff, our suppliers and other companies involved in our operating plants so workers are aware of their rights and the importance of respecting them. Throughout 2021, we succeeded in training more than 3,800 employees on our internal policies.

Promoting decent work contributes to democracy and social integration. It also enables men and women to have access to the same opportunities