Book Chapter
Malnutrition and Poverty in Latin America

This chapter reviews the state of malnutrition and poverty in Latin America, and attempts to quantify the magnitudes of the problem and identify the poor and the malnourished. Growth plays a minor role in eradicating malnutrition within a generation, and there remains a significant role for redistribution. With regards to the targeting of redistribution, socio-economic groups with a high incidence of poverty should be given priority, and the identification of the socio-economic groups in terms of vulnerability to deprivation is crucial. The chapter suggests that the analysis of the patterns of poverty and malnutrition should be carried out at country-specific level.