Tropical Storm Alma produced millions of dollars in damages to the agricultural sector, impacting over 24 thousand producers.  In Leon and Chinandega, campesinos lost their first planting to heavy rains and winds which reached 100 kilometers per hour in some areas.  This crop loss is disastrous for small farmers who have not harvested since last year and must now repay bank loans used plant.  Crop loss was heaviest in Leon, Malpaisillo and Achuapa.  In response to a request from the Institute Juan XXIII, the Quest for Peace is working on the possibility of shipping vegetable seeds so that families can reinforce food production from patio gardens.

 
In an atypical pattern, Hurricane Alma developed off the Pacific Coast of Nicaragua on Wednesday, threatening the entire region with torrential rains.  Heavy rains pounded Costa Rica for 24 hours where the President of the National Emergency Commission reported that "more rain fell in one day than in the entire month of May", producing mudslides and damage to roads and housing.  At noon on Thursday, the storm hit land in Nicaragua near Leon, converting to a Tropical Storm with winds of 65 miles per hour and dumping as much as twenty inches of rain.  

The United Nations issued an alert in response to a sharp hike in world food prices that has provoked food shortages in Central America. Nicaragua is considered to be one of the most vulnerable countries in the region, according to Laura Clementi of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).  High prices for basic grains have resulted in Nicaraguans eating less food.  This is of grave concern because the daily intake of calories is already below required levels, and the situation is getting worse.

 
While traveling to work on the bus, I reflected on the world news headlines of food insecurity.  In Nicaragua, we read alarming reports about food shortages that impact the developed countries of the North, Europe, and Asia.  This is alarming to them, but is very common for us.  I asked myself if they have ever thought about the impact of the economic blockades that they impose on our countries, leaving millions of people hungry, with no health care, no education, and no possibility of a dignified life.