where most of the population could only find unstable employment in various trade, services and construction activities. 44. During the revolutionary period, the nature of the food problem changed substantially. It has improved in the sense that there is less incidence of malnutrition, but at the same time there are greater complications in the problems of shortage, which arise periodically throughout the population, together with higher levels of food dependency. 45. In the past five years, a process of democratization in the pattern of demand and consumption has given certain sectors of the population greater access to meat, rice, oil, sugar, bread and infant formula. Due to these structural changes, it has been possible to reduce the incidence of malnutrition somewhat, although this progress has been slowed by the economic and military crisis in which Nicaragua is involved. These changes as well as population growth have caused a sharp increase in effective demand, which cannot be met by the productive system as it stands. 46. In view of this situation, Nicaragua is forced to import more food and raw materials required for the food industry, something which has increased the food system's degree of external dependency. However, the restrictions imposed by a growing gap in the availability of foreign exchange together withE/1986/3/Add.l5 page 9 greater problems of physical access (delays, blockade measures, etc.) to imports, means that supply is still being restricted, causing the gap with respect to demand to persist, unbalancing the market and thus creating the supply problems. 47. The food system is at the heart of the national economy, both because of the scale of the agro-food product intended for internal consumption or markets abroad and because of the many types of inter-sectoral flows between food production activities and other sectors, which vitalize and create jobs in other economic branches.
**Analysis**
The text primarily discusses the food system and its impact on the national economy, highlighting issues such as food dependency, malnutrition, and supply problems. It also touches on the effects of democratization, population growth, and economic crisis on the food system. These themes suggest that the text is focused on the economic and social aspects of food production and distribution.

**Category**
Economic development, Employment