3. When did the phenomenon of El Niño 2023-2024 begin and when will it end?

The onset of the 2023-2024 El Niño event was declared on July 4, 2023, by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). It is estimated that the most significant meteorological effects will occur between November 2023 and April 2024 and their characteristics will be determined depending on each territory on the planet, within which droughts, intense rains, forest fires, heat waves, cyclones, flooding and changes in wind patterns. These events have already negatively affected the economic activities of agriculture and fishing, generating shortages and rising prices of food—especially rice, palm oil, sugar cane, soybeans and corn—and, therefore, an increase in food insecurity of the most vulnerable populations.