The study “Food Security Situation in the Americas” shows that the northern and southern regions of Latin America have guaranteed food availability. Despite the fact that food production in Latin America and the Caribbean increased by 2.62%, above the population average of 1.23%, grain imports in that area it increased by 4.28%.

The study “The State of Food Security in the Americas” prepared by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), at the request of the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS), which will be analyzed at the 42nd General Assembly of the OAS, in Cochabamba , Bolivia, points out that the northern and southern regions of Latin America have assured availability of food.

Although Caribbean countries are highly dependent on purchases from abroad, it is recommended to increase investment in agriculture, encourage research, advisory work, technology transfer, strengthen family and small-scale agriculture and improve access to markets for small and medium-sized producers, elements that are key to increasing food production, income multiplication, job creation and poverty alleviation.

The report warns that the unstable behavior of international prices has a significant impact because it affects decisions about production and investments in the agricultural sector, and thus the availability of food.

Source: El Financiero