Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is the world’s largest net food-exporting region. Its exports help to stabilize food supplies and reduce food price volatility at a global level. For LAC farmers to continue feeding the world, they need an environment that promotes investment, innovation, and market-friendly solutions that facilitate trade flows. Any major disruptions in the LAC food system (from input price spikes to health crises) have major implications for the global food system.
Many LAC economies rely on food exports. In some countries, food exports represent as much as 80 percent of total exports. Agriculture is also an important source of income and foreign exchange for many LAC countries.
Despite consistent food production surpluses in the region as a whole, some LAC countries suffer from food insecurity or malnutrition and related diseases.
LAC is also the world’s largest provider of ecosystem services, including climate change mitigation, through its forests and watersheds. Maintaining, preserving and enhancing these services, which are a global public good, is a major responsibility. Investment in sustainable production practices is essential to ensure that this crucial element of our global food system continues to support food production while preserving the ecosystem..
Recent disruptions in the global food system (COVID-19 and the Russian invasion in Ukraine, among others) have shown LAC region’s resilience in food production but also many vulnerabilities, as increases in fuel and food prices have undermined families’ purchasing power, especially for the poorest families who spend the largest share of their incomes in food.
LAC and the Global Food System
To address these goals and challenges, IFPRI has launched the Latin America and Caribbean Program, which builds on more than three decades of IFPRI work in the region. Since the 1980s, IFPRI-led research in the LAC region has led to evidence-based, innovative macroeconomic and trade policies and effective social protection and nutrition programs. IFPRI research has used an array of analytical tools to enhance the region’s capacity to design and implement policies and investments for improved food and nutrition security, livelihoods, and resilience.
The Latin American and Caribbean Regional Program will support the region in the transformation of their food systems by analyzing data and generating insights for designing appropriate policies that will inform the needed changes in each country. The LAC program will emphasize collaboration with other institutions and will strive to build a network of collaborators and colleagues in the region.
LAC Regional Program
Understanding the dynamics of such a heterogeneous region supports the design of effective policies to mitigate climate change, increase sustainable production practices, foster innovation, reduce poverty and inequality, promote a more inclusive society, and improve nutrition. Transformation of LAC food systems must enhance the region’s economic development and focus on science and innovation as an answers to the challenges ahead.
Successful food system transformation in the LAC region that responds to regional demands and aspirations will require an integrated view of the region’s development agenda as well as the specific characteristics and needs of each country. For this, coordination among all stakeholders will be essential.
Contact
IFPRI Latin America and Caribbean Office
1201 Eye St. NW
Washington, DC 2005-3915 USA
Email: ifpri-LAC@cgiar.org
