Source: World Integrated Trade Solution (https://wits.worldbank.org/).
Major Export Commodity Basket by Country (by value)
Source: World Integrated Trade Solution (https://wits.worldbank.org/).
Food System Relevance in the Economy
Food Trade Balance
Percent Nominal Rate of Assistance (NRA), 1961–2018
-25.6
46.6
Deficit
Surplus
Large surplus
Agriculture is an important source of employment. Bolivia, Ecuador, Honduras, Paraguay, and Peru show a higher dependence on the food system for value added and employment (a combined average of more than 20 percent), followed by Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, and Uruguay with intermediate levels (about 10 to 20 percent). For the remaining countries, the indicator is below 10 percent.
LAC countries classified according to relevance of the food system in the economy, as measured by combining the percentages of agricultural and agro-industry value added and of rural employment.
Source: Data from World Bank, World Development Indicators database, 2019.
The LAC is the world’s largest net food-exporting region and also the world’s largest provider of ecosystem services. LAC is a strategic region that helps to stabilize food supplies and reduce food price volatility at a global level.
While some countries in LAC are net food exporters, many other countries rely on trade to fulfill their food needs.
Providing more assistance to agriculture in the LAC region is key to managing the trade-offs between economic growth, reducing poverty, feeding the population, improving nutrition and health, promoting an inclusive society (gender and youth), increasing productivity, and preserving LAC ecosystem services.
Map: David Laborde and Abdullah Mamun.
High
Intermediate
Low
No data
LAC and the Global Food System
Food System Relevance
in the Economy
Food Trade Balance
Major Export Commodity Basket by Country
(by value)
Percent Nominal Rate
of Assistance (NRA), 1961–2018
Percent Nominal Rate
of Assistance (NRA), 1961–2018
Food System Relevance
in the Economy
Food Trade Balance
Major Export Commodity Basket by Country
(by value)