Data or statistical facts on the situation and perspectives of agri-food systems and the impact of policies
3 strategic crops, maize, sugar and wheat, face production risks associated with El Niño: lower maize and sugar production in Brazil and impacts on part of Argentina's wheat harvest.
4 Latin American countries, Colombia, Peru, Brazil and Argentina, have the greatest exposure to an intense El Niño event in 2026, according to a Bank of America report.
4 Central American countries, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua, contain extensive areas of the Dry Corridor exposed to prolonged droughts and extreme rainfall associated with El Niño.
4 weeks without rainfall were enough to destroy staple crop plantings in agricultural communities in Guatemala and El Salvador, worsening food insecurity risks.
10.5 million people live in the Central American Dry Corridor and depend mainly on subsistence maize and bean farming, which is highly vulnerable to El Niño.
2 economic protection mechanisms, market diversification and agricultural insurance, are included in the plan to prevent price declines and facilitate the recovery of affected producers' investments.
63% is the estimated probability of a very strong El Niño between November and January, according to NOAA’s mathematical model cited by the source.
25% of cherry production was lost during the 2023-24 El Niño, especially in early varieties, according to the source.
200 millimeters of rain in a single day may occur during localized extreme events associated with El Niño in Paraguay, creating problems for production.
September onward is the period when Paraguay’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock expects El Niño could have a significant impact, coinciding with the start of the rainy season.
