The World Food Forum (WFF) occupied international press headlines this week with its debates on the need to transform science, innovation, investment, and knowledge into food accessible to all.

Convened by the FAO at its headquarters in Rome, the event—which celebrated World Food Day this Friday—met under the theme "Innovate today to nourish tomorrow," with the participation of government representatives, researchers, producers, investors, youth, and indigenous communities from all regions.

The program of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization linked the transformation of agrifood systems with food security and rural development.

The backdrop is alarming: some 673 million people in the world suffer from hunger and around 2.6 billion cannot afford a healthy diet, FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu reiterated on more than one occasion at the WFF.

To that reality are added extreme climate phenomena, pressure on biodiversity, climate change, wars, and inequalities that hinder access to food. Among the main results of the event was the presentation of agrifood investment opportunities worth a record 20.16 billion dollars, proposed by 38 countries and five regional initiatives at the Investment Forum of the Hand-in-Hand initiative.

The projects cover staple crops, livestock, fishing, and higher-value commercial products, and aspire to improve productivity, rural incomes, and the resilience capacity of vulnerable communities.

The Latin America and Caribbean region presented opportunities worth 2.292 billion dollars, through proposals from nine countries and two subregional initiatives.

Cuba presented projects linked to the coffee and honey production chains, aimed at modernizing processes, improving traceability, and expanding access to international markets.

Science and innovation occupied another central space during the meeting. Debates examined tools such as artificial intelligence, remote sensing, robotics, and biotechnology, together with local and traditional knowledge.

The challenge, participants insisted, consists of ensuring that these advances also reach small producers and communities with fewer resources, instead of widening existing technological gaps.

Water availability and its equitable distribution figured among the main concerns of the meeting. At the Rome Water Dialogue, the FAO director-general defended its more efficient use and measures to prevent the effects of droughts and floods.

The organization also presented a digital platform aimed at guiding irrigation investments according to agricultural needs and the sustainability of water resources.

In this context, the FAO recognized 100 women farmers for their contributions to agrifood systems on the International Day of Rural Women.

Among them was Cuban Magalys Pedrero Basulto, linked for decades to urban agriculture in Camagüey, an example of the role of women producers in community supply.

At the close, the Forum left a decisive question posed: how to transform investment proposals, scientific innovations, and international commitments into verifiable improvements for those who produce and consume food.

The magnitude of the announced resources contrasts with the persistence of hunger and reinforces the need for financing to reach the ground, benefit the most vulnerable populations, and contribute to sustainable and resilient food systems.

A new poll published this Friday, just over two weeks before the midterm elections in the United States, brings more bad news for President Donald Trump: approval of his administration's performance among Latino voters has fallen, and 55% of them see the November 3 elections as an opportunity to vote against the president.

The Pew Research Center survey highlights that approval of Trump's work among Latino voters overall fell from 38% in February 2025, a month after his second presidential term began, to 24% in October of this year.

The decline is seen even among Latinos who voted for Trump in 2024, as approval went from 93% to 57%.

Among those who voted for Kamala Harris in the presidential elections, approval of Trump was only 5% in February 2025 and stands at 1% this month.

Ahead of the midterm elections, in which Trump and the Republican Party are seeking to keep their majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, the poll highlights that a broad majority of Latino voters consider the president a crucial factor in the race and in their decision on how to vote.

55% of Latino voters say they see their participation in the elections to renew Congress as "a vote against Trump," while 14% say they will vote in support of the president. Meanwhile, 30% say they do not see Trump as an element to consider in this context.

Among Latino voters who this year support a Republican candidate, 46% say their vote will be to support Trump and the same percentage say Trump is not a factor they consider in this decision. Only 7% of these voters mention that they see an opportunity to vote against the president.

By contrast, among Latino voters who support a Democratic Party candidate, 84% state that their vote will be in opposition to Trump and 14% indicate that the president is not an element they take into consideration.

These data add to those of other polls that show an unfavorable outlook for Republicans. At the end of July, a CNN poll showed that Democratic Party candidates were eight points ahead of Republican Party candidates, a margin that several analysts foresee could widen as the voting date approaches.

Ahead of the contest, Trump has asked citizens to go out and vote as if he were on the ballot. However, several Republican candidates fear that this could backfire due to the president's growing unpopularity.

In addition to approval for Trump's administration and the perception of the vote for the upcoming elections, the Pew Research Center poll includes information on the impact that Latino voters believe the president's policies have had and how they perceive the community's situation today compared with last year.

Since he began his second presidential term, Trump has made decisions such as tightening immigration policy, imposing tariffs on products from several countries and launching a war with Iran, a conflict that has raised global oil prices.

70% of those surveyed by the Pew Research Center say they consider that Trump's policies "have been harmful to Hispanics," while 12% believe they have been beneficial and 16% think they have had no effect.

More than 800 aftershocks, thousands of victims, and uncertainty in the provinces affected by the 7.5-magnitude earthquake of October 9 stand out today in Panama's news week.

According to the most recent official report, 15,139 people and 4,485 families were affected by the seismic event, while the Government maintains actions to assist the victims.

Minister of Canal Affairs and Secretary of Goals José Ramón Icaza reported that 3,696 people remain in 46 shelters, of whom 2,569 are in Veraguas province.

So far, one fatality is reported: a 68-year-old woman from Macaracas, in Los Santos province.

Authorities are also assisting 1,185 families whose homes suffered damage, while the Ministry of Social Development provided psychological assistance to more than 2,000 victims.

Coclé, Los Santos, Veraguas, and Herrera are among the provinces most affected by the earthquake, whose epicenter was near Pitaloza Arriba, in Herrera.

In the housing sphere, the Government is evaluating damage to more than 2,300 homes and has begun enabling the first 300 solutions through home construction, repairs, and delivery of materials.

For its part, the Ministry of Education inspected 519 schools with partial or total damage and will determine the resumption of classes based on the safety conditions of the facilities.

The emergency also prompted expressions of concern about inequalities in attention to affected communities. The Pueblo Unido por la Vida alliance denounced differences in state assistance and warned that lower-income sectors face greater difficulties in recovering their homes, livelihoods, and access to basic services.

The organization questioned the minimizing of the catastrophe's impact due to the low number of fatalities, emphasizing the material losses and the uncertainty facing thousands of people.

Among the geographic effects reported is Isla Cañas, in Los Santos, where, according to a television report, the terrain was divided by a channel about four meters deep after the phenomenon.

Amid recovery tasks, President José Raúl Mulino confirmed the cancellation of the traditional dawn reveille at the Presidency of the Republic, scheduled for the early hours of November 3, as part of national holiday celebrations.

The president indicated that the holding of parades will be evaluated at the next Cabinet Council before announcing a definitive decision.

Mulino justified the suspension of the reveille due to the situation the country is going through and the need to address the consequences of the disaster, which struck thousands of families.

Panama also received international cooperation to face the emergency. Among the contributions stands out a shipment of 40 tons of humanitarian aid from Venezuela, accompanied by 51 specialists destined to support technical evaluation and the recovery of damaged infrastructure.

The United States, Costa Rica, and Korea are also among the countries that have provided support, along with the United Nations World Food Programme and other agencies of the multilateral organization.

The earthquake occurred at 12:56 p.m. local time on October 9. The U.S. Geological Survey raised the magnitude from 7.6 to 7.7, while the Institute of Geosciences of the University of Panama placed it at 7.5, after an initial estimate of 7.2.

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